Young, Messed up, and Romantically confused: Book 2
by LizLemonnumber2
Summary: Life continues, Christian and Ana learn how to be parents and learn how to love each other through struggles, Gen and Elliot continue to be weirdos, Hayden grows up, Questions will be answered.
1. Prologue: Reintroducing Carla and Ray

**A/N – SURPRISE! Alright I know I am backtracking a tad, here is the prologue I wanted for this story. I hope you guys have your popcorn ready. I am still working on Phoebe's babies and I am hoping to get those last 2 chapters finished and to you as quick as my fingers can type. Those of you who are waiting for this one – I thought I'd give you a little somethin somethin while you wait **

**These characters are EL James's, and I am using them for my own twisted amusement. Reviews are ALWAYS loved and appreciated. **

**Prologue: Reintroducing Carla and Ray**

** He grabs my hand and lightly kisses it as he drives. **It's been a good weekend, a weekend that has me feeling good about us. Through all of the fighting and the sex, I hope we are right where we need to be to fix this. I've hated the distance between us. Even if he caused the distance, I have still missed him. We can get over this hill, I know we can.

"Penny for your thoughts?" he asked as he kissed my hand.

"I want to go home," I tell him, "Even though this weekend was perfect, I miss the girls."

He snorts, "I am sure Ana would be fine holding down the house on her own. I swear that girl is eight going on twenty eight."

I laugh, "I love those girls…"

"Did you hear Ana telling Avery how to give Genevieve her snack? I was in shock; she is your daughter for sure…"

I can't help but laugh again. Ana is such a little mommy, she is a natural born care-giver and she approaches the care of her little sister very seriously. I remember when we found out I was pregnant with Genevieve; I have never seen a two year old more excited.

"I'll claim her. But Genevieve is all you. She's crazy, and she needs someone to keep her in check – like Ana." I sigh deeply and stare out the window, "I love them."

"I do too," he says, shaking his head, "I hated being away from you three."

"We hated it too, honey," I tell him softly, "I am still mad as hell, but that doesn't mean I didn't miss you when I kicked you out."

"That's good to know," he says to himself. He shakes his head; his brown floppy curls flying as he does.

Ray and I are both strong brunettes, something fairly obvious on our two little girls. They both share my eye color, but their faces are all Ray's. I know he loves our girls, but he has just made stupid decisions in his relationship with me.

Our life together has been chaotic and a little crazy. I met Ray Steele in Vegas. He was with his fraternity brothers and I was with Genevieve, my best friend and the woman I named my youngest daughter after. Genevieve had just gotten her heart broken by some stupid guy, and she wanted a sinful girl's weekend away with me.

I hated him the moment I met him. I knew fraternity guys, they were all douchebags. I had gotten my heart broken by one at the University of Texas, the college I attended before I met Ray. He was insistent that on proving me wrong and that he wanted me. Genevieve was surprisingly ok with being ditched because she knew I was going to get some, she was always cool like that. We fucked like rabbits, it was incredible. I had never had sex like that in my life, I was hooked to him. I met him on Friday evening, and we eloped Sunday night. It was one of the craziest things I have ever done, but that was Ray. Crazy, out of control, and insanely in love with me, I had never experienced that before. I was structured, organized, and I never did a crazy thing in my life before I met him.

My parents were furious. I had thrown away my scholarship to the University of Texas and had run away to California with the first guy I met in Vegas. I am pretty certain their heads were going to explode if I packed on even more crazy to the situation. Genevieve was in full support of my relationship, and I promised that because of her unfailing support, I would name one of our children after her.

Soon after we were married, I was pregnant with Anastasia. My mother flew out to California as soon as I told her I was pregnant and she begged me to come home. Ray wouldn't hear of it. He as nicely as he could he tossed her out of the house, re-affirming in my mind that he loved me and was excited about becoming a father.

He is still excited about being a father, he loves Ana and Gen so much, but I am still unsure if he loves me as much as he did. The woman had him in ways I never knew existed, and I don't understand what he still sees in me.

"You're quiet again," he murmurs, "Are you sure you're ok?" I nod and he shakes his head. "We talked about this Carla. You need to talk to me."

"I'm fine Ray, don't worry about me," I say as he leans over for a kiss.

"That's impossible." We get stuck in traffic and I roll my eyes and lean my head back on the seat. He snorts, "Don't worry honey, we're almost home."

"That's why it's annoying. I am so tired of sitting in the car. I want to go home. I need to go shopping tomorrow for clothes for Ana. She is getting taller by the second."

"I bet she'll be a volleyball or basketball player," Ray says to himself.

I burst into laughter. "If she's anything like me, she'll be too uncoordinated for her own good. "

He laughs as the traffic lessons. "Thank God," he says to himself. Cars continue to move, but ours is being beckoned to a side road.

"Ray, what's going on?" I ask, holding on to his arm.

"I don't know baby, but it'll be fine," he says, sensing my unease. As we move to the shoulder, a man in a traffic vest and hat comes to Ray's door. He rolls down the window as the man peers inside.

"Mr. Steele, Ray Steele."

"Yes, that's me," Ray says anxiously.

"Please step out of the car, Mr. Steele, I and a few other gentlemen need to discuss a few things with you."

"What the hell do you need to discuss with him?" I bark, "What the hell is going on."

"Carla, it is ok," he tells me as he kisses me, "I'll see what this man wants and then we will go home."

I am still not ok with this. Something about this situation leaves me cold. He gets out of the car and walks slowly with the man down the side of the road. I sit in anticipation as I watch them. They discuss something, and I know when Ray's eyes turn cold that something is wrong. The conversation gets heated as all the men seem to be shouting at each other. Ray turns back to the car, and I am relieved that he is coming back to me.

That's when I see it. A man comes up behind him and smacks him over the head with a shovel. I scream as I see blood from the impact spray around him. The other man screams at the shovel holder and points to the car. Another man has joined them and they are all staring at me. I am too deeply in shock to understand their reactions, but they are instantly moving toward the car and to me.

_Dear God, just get me back to my girls… _


	2. Accident - 4 Years Later

**A/N – I am simply naming the Sequel "Book 2", hopefully that won't confuse too many people. I also know that I said I was going to update Phoebe's Babies first, but this idea came like a freight train. I will work on it, I promise! In this book, they are hitting 30, and life is much different then at 22! Enjoy! This is going to be a little shorter, but it is just the "Prologue" so every other chapter will be much longer. **

**Also – the end of this chapter is a little crazy and I've been doing this long enough to know that a lot of you always expect the worst – don't. It doesn't mean it isn't going to be tough to read at times, but I am keeping to a few storyline rules that I don't plan on breaking, but I also don't want to give anything away. Just trust me, OK? lol **

**Young, Messed up, and Romantically Confused – Book 2 **

**Chapter 1 – Accident **

**Christian **

** Ana is due to return from her business trip to New York in several hours and I am nervous. **We had fought nonstop for weeks before she left, and the time apart has made me realize how badly I fucked up. I said stupid and jackass things to her, and I feel like shit. Before she got on her return flight to Seattle, she requested Sawyer pick her up from the airport and not me. Tonight is dinner at Elliot and Genevieve's house and she asked if she could meet me there to avoid being alone with me. I keep thinking she could just move into a hotel room, and never come back to me. I can't let that happen, she has to let me apologize for what I said.

When I knock on the door of Gen and Elliot's, Hayden is the first to answer. Apart from her blonde curls that match my brother's, she looks just like Genevieve and Anastasia. Now that she is twelve, she is starting to look less like the three year old that I met nine years ago and more like a teenager. It is sad watching my baby niece grow up. Soon Elliot is going to be fighting off boys, and I'll gladly help him beat off those junior high fuckers.

"Uncle Christian," she says, smiling brightly.

"You know, there was a time when you used to call me "Uncle Cwistin," I remind her.

She laughs, "I'm sure I did…"

Genevieve waddles to the door, very pregnant with her and Elliot's third child. "Hey stranger," Gen says, "You're looking well, come on in."

I step into Genevieve and Elliot's beautiful home and I know I need to buy something like this for Ana. We found a new luxury penthouse to live in, a home that isn't so full of memories of submissives and ditsy ex-fiancées, and now she is been begging for us to get a house. I think now is probably the best time to get one, considering our circumstances and that Ana is pissed at me.

I walk in and suddenly I feel little arms wrapped around my legs. My four year old nephew smiles up at me as I ruffle his brown curls.

"Uncle Cwistin," he beams.

"See," Hayden tells me, "One person is still calling you Uncle Cwistin."

I pick up Rocky and throw him in the air. "Hey buddy, it's good to see you."

"Pway wif me?" he asks, blue eyes shining, "Daddy got me twains."

"Sorry Rocky," his mother informs him, "We've gotta get dinner on the table."

Rocky pouts and turns to his mother, "I wanna pway."

"Rocky Raymond," I hear my brother bellow as he steps into the kitchen, "Go wash your hands for dinner."

"Yews Daddy," Rocky says as I set him on the floor.

"Hayden," Gen asks, "Go with your brother and make sure he actually does wash his hands the right way."

She rolls her eyes, another trait of her Aunt's, and heads for the bathroom with Rocky.

"So I hear you pissed off my sister," Gen tells me, eyes wide and accusatory.

"Super," I mumble sarcastically. Genevieve knows practically everything going on in Ana's life.

"What did you do this time bro?" Elliot asks, tearing off a piece of bread and sticking into his mouth.

"It is complicated."

"I had to BEG her to come to dinner tonight," Gen tells me, "She was all for going to a hotel once she got back to Seattle." I groan in frustration, _is she fucking serious_? "Have you been fucking other women?"

"God no Gen," I practically yell, "Give me a little credit."

"Then why is she SO mad at you," Gen barks.

"I fucked up," I tell her softly, "And I am going to fix it."

"You better," she says, pointing the ladle at me, "My sister loves you desperately, and if you break her heart, I don't care that I am five months pregnant, I will bust you up."

"Threatening me?" I say to my sister-in-law, "That's new for you Gen…"

"Don't fuck with a pregnant woman Grey," she tells me. Elliot smiles at her salaciously and I have to roll my eyes now. He is practically eye fucking her.

The kids return from the bathroom and I get confirmation from Sawyer that he has picked up Ana from Sea-Tac, and they are on their way to Genevieve and Elliot's house. I asked Sawyer if she could call me as soon as possible, but I haven't received any phone calls yet. _Fantastic, she is still pissed._

"Elliot," I say as I play around with my dying Blackberry, "Do you have your Blackberry charger?"

"Yeah, let me go find it," he says, walking off. This is annoying. My phone never dies on me, I never leave it uncharged.

Genevieve practically pushes me off the kitchen stool and forces me to help her set the table. Hayden comes in and helps us as well, teaching me how to properly set a place setting. _How am I supposed to know how to do that?_

"Found you a charger Christian," Elliot says as he sets it on the counter top.

Rocky comes in seconds later and leaps for my legs, stopping me from moving. Rocky enjoys the aggravation this puts me in, and giggles as I struggle to move. After several minutes of Rocky attacking me, Hayden helps him off and into his booster seat. He watches happily as we get dinner completed and ready. Rocky might be the happiest, dim witted and laid back child I have ever come across. He is definitely his father's son. Genevieve watches her clock nervously.

"Where is Ana?" she asks, "Didn't you say your driver picked her up?"

I nod, "It's been about twenty minutes, must be traffic."

We sit and talk for another fifteen minutes before Genevieve gives up. "I am pregnant and starving, let's eat."

I realize my phone is still dead on the kitchen counter. "I'll go charge my phone, and see if I got any news from Sawyer," I say as I get up to grab my phone.

I hope she didn't decide to stay at a hotel. I need to work this out with her and I can't do that if she shuts down and pushes me away. It takes my phone an annoying several minutes before it comes to life. Suddenly, the notification of three missed calls and two voicemails fills my screen. _Shit._

Sawyer's voice comes to life through my cell phone and I realize it is not for good reasons that I am hearing my second in command.

"Mr. Grey… we got in an accident," he pushes out, sounding like it is painful to talk, "I called 911 and Taylor and… shit."

The voicemail cuts off and I begin pacing around my brother's living room. _Shit, shit, fucking shit, what happened?_ I am to the point of pulling my hair out of my head.

"Mr. Grey," Taylor's voice comes on the line as I listen to my second voicemail, "Call me back, Sawyer and Ana have been in an accident and they are both being rushed to the hospital. Please sir, call me back."

I look at the missed call log and read them nervously. My last call was from Taylor, before that was from Sawyer, and before that I have a missed call from my wife. Why was I so fucking stupid? My phone is always on and my phone is always fucking charged.

Panic seizes me as I call Taylor back. I have an eerie feeling that he'll be the easiest to reach.

"Mr. Grey," Taylor's voice floods through the phone, "They're here, and we're admitting them into the hospital."

"What the fuck happened to my wife?" I say, the words flowing out of me.

"She unconscious, but I don't know how much damage has been done until they finishlooking her over. Sawyer got the brunt of it. He is completely out of it so I don't know what happened yet. The car was flipped over when I arrived on the scene."

"Fuck Taylor," I breathe, so filled with anxiety that I barely speak, "Wait, what do you mean Sawyer got the brunt of it?" I blurt out. Genevieve is suddenly at my side, eyes filled with worry.

"You owe the man your life," Taylor explains, "I'll explain more later… just get down here. The accident was bad…"

"I'm on my way…"

This isn't happening. I could go to the hospital and she could be dead as soon as I arrive. My life is in that hospital, fighting for her life. She could die, and the last conversation we had was a stupid fight, a fight that should have never happened. _Fuck, I really am an asshole._ None of that matters anymore, my fears and doubts are specs compared to how much I need her safe and sound.

"Christian, what's wrong?" Genevieve whispers. She seems to be keeping her voice low for the sake of the kids in the next room. I have no doubts that Elliot is distracting them.

Suddenly, a new set of panic hits me. Nobody knows, and they need to know this when they admit her. Shit, I don't want to do this, but I have to.

I call Taylor back and my stomach begins to form knots. "Yes sir," Taylor says immediately.

"You need to make sure the Doctors know something about Ana," I breathe, unable to keep my emotions in check.

"Yes sir?" Taylor asks. I only faintly realize that Genevieve is still with me. She is watching me tentatively, and seeming to be very nervous for what I am about to say.

"Taylor, they need to know…" I say as I take a big gulp, "That Ana is pregnant."

Very quickly, Genevieve's face turns from recognition to anger. She is putting the puzzle pieces together, and she is building assumptions to why we've been fighting. Her sister's jackass husband isn't ready to be a father and has been bitter and fighting with her for weeks, _I know_, _I am a monster._

I hang up with Taylor as Genevieve grabs her coat. "Come on," she barks at me, "We need to go make sure my sister and my unborn niece or nephew is ok."

I nod and she scowls at me. _For the love of God, just get me to my wife, and let her be ok._


	3. Miracle

**A/N – I spent my day with anxious kids wanting to go on their Christmas break. Now, I am home in the peace and quiet, with a glass of wine, and with all of my lights off - Merry Christmas Break to me. Someone asked for a link to my VERY first Fan Fiction but it is on The Writer's Coffee Shop website under LizLemon. **

**I decided to ditch the whole "prologue thing" and just jump right in! Thanks for all the reviews, follows, favorites, and what not. You guy are the best. I am on Christmas break, but I do plan on busting out as many chapters of Phoebe's Babies and this one as I can in two weeks' time. We'll see how that goes…. Lol. **

**This chapter makes me slightly nervous for various reasons…. ENJOY! Lol **

**Chapter 2 – Miracle **

**Christian **

** The doctor shakes his head in shock as he addresses us.**

"She has moderate head trauma and a neck fracture, but overall she looks like she'll make a full recovery. I'm amazed. Her driver was also very lucky. Something or someone was watching over that automobile," the doctor says as Genevieve and I nod.

"Then why is she still unconscious?"

"She suffered a great deal of trauma tonight," he says looking through his charts, "She'll wake up when the time is right."

"What about the baby?" I ask quietly.

"Your daughter is fine, Mr. Grey."

Genevieve looks over at me in shock as I try to comprehend his words. "Excuse me?"

"She is fine…"

"It is too early," I stammer, "I didn't think…" _What the hell do you know Grey? You've barely been there for her, you walking shit of a husband._

"You are right, it is a little early, but we have some of the best technology in the country. If you have a son in six months, I'll give you a full refund," the doctor says as he moves to my side, "She'll awaken when she is ready. Don't worry; you didn't lose either of them."

A voice that I don't recognize enters my brain_: "Here is your last chance. You fuck this up again; you'll lose both of them. I gave you this opportunity, you better not waste it."_

The doctor exits the room and I grab a hold of Ana's hand. Her head is wrapped and she has a lot of cuts and bruises, but she still looks like my beautiful wife.

"How long have you known about the baby?" Genevieve asks softly.

"A month or so, maybe…" I say as I rub Ana's knuckles.

She exhales with anger as I continue my focus on my wife. "I cannot believe she didn't tell me," Genevieve breathes, "I'm her sister."

I am not a hundred percent certain why Anastasia hadn't told Genevieve yet, but a few ideas come to mind.

"I put her through enough hell Gen," I say with a held back sob, "She probably had other things to think about…"

"What did you say to her?" she asks bemused. _Shit, Genevieve is going to kill me. _

"I told her I wasn't ready to be a father, I told her that wasn't sure if we could handle this…."

I pause and her eyebrows rise. "That can't be everything Christian," Gen probes, "She wouldn't have been that mad over that, she can handle your doubts."

I shake my head, trying to word this the right way. _There is no right way to word this, I have behaved awfully._

"I told her that I can't be a Dad. I told her…" I say as I try to hold it together, "That if she wanted this so bad, she should raise our child on her own. That she forced me to be a father, that I never had a choice. " Gen blows out an aggravated sigh as she shifts in her chair. "… Gen, I know. I fucked up."

"You really fucked up. You told your WIFE, the woman you proclaim to love and who you pined over for six years to raise your baby on her own and that she FORCED you to be a Dad… what the fuck is wrong with you?" she hisses as I get up from my chair.

I can't be in here anymore, and I can't have this conversation in front of Ana. I don't care if she is unconscious, I know she can hear us, and I don't want to put her through this again. I storm through the hospital in search of a door. I need air. I never understood when people say they needed air, but I get it now. I just need fresh air, a place to breath.

Once I find the parking lot and a park bench, I take a seat and try to clear my mind. I feel the night around me, and I can hear my staggered breathing. It must be 1 or 2 in the morning at this point; I didn't realize we've been at the hospital this long. I hear Genevieve's footsteps as she moves closer to me. I feel bad, I hope she didn't try to run and catch up with me. I don't want to stress out another pregnant woman.

"I know I fucked up Gen. I know I need to do everything in my power to get her to not hate me anymore…"

She shakes her head, "I don't get it Christian. You are so good with Hayden and Rocky. You don't talk about children constantly, but I always thought you wanted them with her."

I shake my head, "I don't know. I thought I did too… but when she told me she was pregnant, I just… snapped."

"What do you mean you snapped?" she asks, her voice seeming to be calmer then she was earlier.

How do I say this to Genevieve without telling her too much? "Every negative thing I have ever thought about myself came rushing through my head at once… and it all just exploded on to Ana," I tell her. That is how Dr. Flynn explained it so that is how I'll explain it too.

"Your past?" Genevieve simply asks. Was my fucked up past the reason for my outburst and month of war with my wife, unfortunately yes.

"How much has Ana told you," I ask her. I have learned that this is always the first question you need to ask with Genevieve and Anastasia. I hated that at first, Genevieve knows way too much about our sex life, but I've gotten used to it.

"Enough to where I understand a little bit of where you're coming from…"

I nod, staring at my hands nervously. "I was childish and stupid and I could have lost her…" I say my voice suddenly very raw.

"It will be ok," she says, her voice quietly reassuring, "You'll grovel, you'll be there for her, you'll get her back."

I tense as I remember one last horrific piece of information, information that solidifies me as a monster.

"Mr. Grey," I hear Taylor's voice from the door_. Is she awake? Oh God, let her be awake. _"Sawyer is awake," he yells across the lot, "The FBI is about to take his statement, but Sawyer wrote that he wouldn't begin until you were here."

"Wrote?" I ask.

"Yes sir," Taylor says gravely as he walks to my side, "Sawyer lost his ability to speak."

I don't know if it is the lateness of the hour or the intensity of the last several minutes, but I am perplexed.

"Just come with me sir. You'll want to get the whole story from Sawyer…" Taylor says nervously. _What the fuck happened to Sawyer?_

**Our newest member of the security team, Joseph Ryan, was elected to drive Genevieve home. **I usually go by last names for my security detail, but for obvious reasons I decided I preferred to call this new guy Joseph. I am paying him too much for him to give a shit. Before she left, Genevieve requested to be called as soon as Ana wakes up.

Taylor escorts me to Sawyer's room, and I realize I haven't even seen him since I arrived to the hospital; I've only been at Ana's side. When I enter the room, several men in long coats surround Sawyer's bedside.

When I take my first look at Sawyer, I am in disbelief by what I see. His face looks like he was in a fight with an animal. Scratches, cuts, and several welts decorate his usually well groomed face. He has bandages wrapped around the top of his head, and his eyes are weak.

"Hello, Mr. Grey," an older gentleman says from my left, "My name is Detective Jaresh. We need to get on with our questioning of Mr. Sawyer, so if you don't mind finding a spot…"

I nod as they hand Sawyer a piece of paper and a pencil. I am too stunned to even get mad about his rude insistence. Why does Sawyer look _this bad_ when Ana looks practically unharmed? I remember Taylor's comments on the phone,_ "Sawyer took the brunt of it…" Shit, what the hell happened? _They hand Sawyer a piece of paper as Detective Jaresh begins the line of questioning.

"Sawyer, tell us from the beginning what happened." Sawyer strains to write and it takes him at least five minutes to finish the first question.

Taylor picks up the paper and begins reading, _"I was on my way to pick Mrs. Grey up from the airport when a car pulled in front of me. I swerved, and missed the car. The SUV flipped over. Once I got myself to safety, I saw that Mrs. Grey was fine and so I was able to abstract her from the vehicle. I attempted to call Taylor, Mr. Grey, and 911."_

"You weren't able to complete your call to 911…" Jaresh probes.

Sawyer simply writes "No" on the paper and the Detectives write on their notepads.

"What happened next Luke? Why weren't you able to call 911?" I ask as Jaresh's head snaps to meet mine.

"Mr. Grey, if you'll excuse me…"

"My wife is fucking unconscious in the next room so I apologize for my sense of urgency."

"Mr. Grey, believe me," he states, "We have a sense of urgency too."

"He has the answer gentlemen," Taylor says as he lifts the paper in the air, stopping our stupid squabble

"Go ahead," Jaresh responds.

Taylor eyes the paper and takes in a deep breath. _"The man from the other car had gotten out and was pulling Ana by her hair across the side of the road."_

I can't think, I can't breathe. After a moment I realize I am bent over, trying to take a breath.

"Mr. Grey, do you want me to continue?" Taylor asks. I realize everyone in the room has their eyes on me.

I look up at Taylor and Sawyer and Sawyer's eyes are raw. He knows a fraction of what I am feeling. He has been protecting her since we've been married.

"Yes," I practically choke out.

Taylor looks affected by what he is reading also, but he tries to hold it in the best he can. _"He had a bat or stick or something and was ready to hit her, but I was able to stop him. I took the man away from the area and dealt with him myself."_

"When did he get away?" Jaresh asks softly.

Sawyer writes more and hands the paper to Taylor. "_After we fucked each other up a little more," _Taylor reads and the room snickers quietly.

"Did you get a good look at him?" Jaresh asks Sawyer.

Sawyer writes more on the paper and hands it over to Taylor again. _"He had a hood on but Ana may have gotten a better look at him."_

Jaresh nods and looks over at me. "I would like to speak to your wife after she wakes up."

I ignore Jaresh and take a place at Sawyer's side. Sawyer gestures to Taylor for the sheet of paper back. Taylor complies and Sawyer writes more.

_"Is she ok?"_

I nod, "She'll be fine. Thank you, Sawyer, what you did… I'll never be able to thank you enough."

He moves back to the paper and writes again. _"Is the baby ok?"_

I try to hold back tears as I answer Sawyer. "It's a goddamn miracle, but yes, the baby will be ok," I whisper, making sure the room doesn't hear.

He moves back to the paper and I have no idea what else he could possibly say to me. _"You better have a good plan to grovel, you messed up."_

I snicker for the first time all night. "If you hadn't just saved my wife's life, you would be fired right about now."

I try to laugh through my anxiety. Some fucker had to have planned this, and he almost killed my wife tonight. Somebody with some kind of vendetta toward me or my family is coming for me. I turn to Taylor and he simply nods. He knows the ramifications of this incident and he knows that Jaresh won't be able to accomplish what we can accomplish.

"Mr. Grey," a nurse says from the door, "Your wife is awake, and she's asking for you…"

I walk toward the door but Taylor grabs my arm. "I'll put in a call to Welch," Taylor says in my ear, "We'll take care of it before the FBI can get their feet wet…"


	4. The Accident Revisited

**A/N – Since this is an AU fan fic, you'll see several differences in this from the original. It has several reoccurring themes, but I decided to take some creative license with a few details. **

**Thanks for all the love and support! I do not own FSOG!**

**Chapter 3 – The Accident Revisited **

**Ana**

** I remember our last conversation so vividly. **I don't know how I couldn't. It has been on my mind every hour of my business trip.

_ "If you just got rid of it, we would be back to normal again."_

I couldn't believe that he had said that to me, and I knew he regretted it the moment the comment left his lips. The look on his face when I smacked him showed me that, but I just can't get over what he said to me.

When I told him I was pregnant, he freaked. He told me he wasn't ready, and that he couldn't do it. I understand his fears, his past is rough. He was born to a crack whore mother who abandoned him when he was four. She allowed him to be beaten and tortured at a young age, leaving him with mental scars that far surpass anything I can comprehend.

I just wish he would see the good in himself. He is so good and wonderful, but if he continues down this road, I may just start believing those lies he thinks of himself. He will leave me with no other choice.

The major problem is that he won't talk to me. He resorts to spilling out venom whenever we bring up the subject, and he won't open up to me about this. I know details of his past, but if he won't talk to me about what is bothering him now, I can't be there for him. I am his wife, I should be able to comfort my husband, but he won't let me. He has made numerous attempts to call me and email this week but I never responded or made any attempts to speak with him. I needed time away from him so I can collect my thoughts.

New York has been an excellent distraction. I love my line of work because it never feels like a "business trip." I have spent the last week in New York acquiring new art work for my gallery. I have found beautiful pieces and I cannot wait to get them home. Christian actually set this trip up for me as a birthday present, and he was supposed to go with me. Obviously, I decided to leave him at home.

"Mrs. Grey," Sawyer says as I buckle myself into the SUV, "Mr. Grey has requested you call him as soon as possible."

I snort and shake my head, "I'm sure he did."

Carlisle, my security detail for the week, rounds the car and takes a seat on the passenger side.

"My fiancée's house is twenty minutes away," Carlisle quietly says to Sawyer, "Can you drop me off before going to the Grey's."

Sawyer nods, slightly irritated with the request. "I didn't know you were getting married Carlisle?" I say.

He smiles, "Yes ma'am. The piece I bought in SOHO is for her birthday."

"How sweet," I say to myself as I play with my cell phone. Maybe he'll try to call me, or maybe I should just call my sister and tell her I'm not coming. I am so tired from traveling, I just want to go home and sleep. Sawyer drops my travel companion off and continues on to my sister's home.

"Mrs. Grey?" Sawyer asks me, "Is there something going on between you and Mr. Grey that we should know about."

If Christian knew how often Sawyer and I had these conversations, he would fire him. I actually like talking to Sawyer but I try to never tell him too much. Anything to Christian is too much, but I am pissed off at Christian so I don't care.

"We've been fighting," I tell him.

Sawyer holds back a snicker, "Anyone in a twenty mile radius would know that you two have been fighting."

He's got a point. I might as well tell him, he'll know sooner or later. "I'm pregnant."

He nods, unaffected. "Uh-huh." He gets it, and I know I don't need to say another word.

Without warning, I see a car in the middle of the road and Sawyer swerves. He cusses loudly as he tries to take control of the SUV. The car shakes and I feel it shift to the left side. It rolls and I feel the window against my left side. The only thought in my brain is that Christian must have purchased shatter proof glass for the entire fleet of vehicles.

The car stops and I remain on my side. I notice Sawyer get out of the car and pull himself to his feet.

"Mrs. Grey," Sawyer yells to me, "Can you pull yourself out?"

I breathe and stare out the car. How do I get myself out of here? _What's going on? _

Sawyer scoots through the car, reaching his hands for me. I stare nervously, _what is he doing?_

"Mrs. Grey, I need to get you out of here. You are obviously in shock, and I want to get you out and take you to the hospital, we need to make sure you and the baby are ok…"

_The baby, my baby, oh god, let my baby be ok. _

"Mrs. Grey, you'll both be fine," he says calmly. He reaches through and unbuckles my seat belt. He somehow removes me from the vehicle and lays me on the ground. My eyes adjust as I hear Sawyer in the background. He is calling people, calling Christian.

I feel footsteps step near me, Sawyer got help, he is going to make sure me and my baby get help. He bends to the ground and moves his lips to my ear. I have a strange feeling that this isn't Sawyer.

"You won't leave here alive, Mrs. Grey," he tells me as he begins to drag my head. Fuck, the pain is indescribable. My neck and head feels like they are on fire. I try to scream, but nothing comes out of my mouth. "Time to die," the voice says again as I see a bat rise in the air. He is going to kill me; he is going to kill me, and my baby. He or she will never see the light of day. I'm so sorry I couldn't save you little blip.

I wait for a hit that never comes. A second set of footsteps have intruded and I assume Sawyer has found the man. He stopped the hit from coming. I turn my head slightly and feel pain radiate through my entire body. Sawyer and the man are fighting and I try to scream for someone to help Sawyer. Before I fall into the sleep that my body is craving, I see the man hit Sawyer in the neck with his bat._ Somebody please save Sawyer..._

**The world is bright and my body hurts. **_Where the hell am I and what am I doing in this room?_ A woman enters and smiles when she sees me.

"Mrs. Grey, it is good to see you awake," she says as she does several things in my room. I don't know what she is doing because I can't move my neck to see her. I realize several seconds later that my neck is in a full cast.

"What happened," I barely get out.

"You were in a car accident," she says as several men enter my room, "This is a group of detectives, there are a few others in the next room… they have a few questions to ask you."

My eyes adjust as they stare at me. I don't like them, and I want my husband. "My husband?"

"I'll get him, Mrs. Grey." I don't like these men in my room, and I know Christian would kick them out immediately if he knew they were in here.

Christian enters the room, eyeing me nervously. I suddenly realize that I am still angry with him, so mad at my husband for being an asshole to me and our unborn child. _Shit, my baby, is my baby ok?_

"Christian," I breathe. He pushes through the crowd of detectives and joins me at my side. "Get these men out of here," I force out.

"Gladly baby," he says as he lightly kisses my temple. He pushes them out of my room, saying his wife is overwhelmed by their presence and that they can come back tomorrow, or never. I chose never.

Once the men are gone, he returns to my side and I am not sure how to ask this next question. "Did I lose…?" I sniffle, "Did I lose…"

"The baby is fine," he says, kissing my hand several times, "You both are going to be fine, and you are both safe."

I close my eyes with relief, "What about Sawyer?" Images flood my brain of Sawyer fighting a man, the man who tried to kill me.

"He is fine, all things considered."

"Christian," I say, my voice raspy, "The last memory I have is Sawyer getting beat in the throat by a bat."

Christian blanches, "He can't talk. But he is alive and doing well."

"He saved my life Christian," I breathe, trying not to cry, "Whoever that was could have killed me and the baby."

He holds tighter to my hand, his eyes full of devastation. "Ana, I'm sorry," he breathes, "For everything. I was stupid and idiotic and…"

"Mrs. Grey, welcome back," the doctor says as he moves into the room. Christian steps aside as the doctor begins his examination.

Christian stays seated and I cannot keep my eyes off of him. My memories return of what we spoke about before I left for New York. I could kill him for what he said to me, for asking me to give up my baby, but I just don't have the energy. I am alive, my baby is ok, and my husband seems to be remorseful. _Maybe we can work through this after all. _

**Christian **

** They finish with the checks of Ana and our daughter at around four thirty in the morning. **Ana still doesn't know we are having a girl. I have requested that the ultra sound technicians show her when she is more awake and can appreciate it.

I quickly send a text message to Genevieve, my mother, and my sister that Ana is awake and doing fine. Mom of course had a myriad of questions, and she will be up to the hospital around seven in the morning to check up on her. Genevieve also informs me that she will be up at the hospital as well in the morning with Hayden in tow.

As I finish my messaging, I settle in on one of the couches in her hospital room. She is asleep so I attempt to settle in quietly.

"Will you stop moving," she barks from the bed.

"Sorry baby."

"Why aren't you going home?" she asks after a second.

"Because I am not leaving you for a damn second."

"I am still pissed at you," she says, "The accident didn't clear my memory."

I sigh deeply, "I know. And I plan on making it up to you."

"By hovering and annoying the hell out of me?"

"Yep," I say confidently.

She snorts and I cannot help my smile. "You wouldn't be you if you weren't annoying."

We stay quiet for several more minutes and finally I have to tell her. "I am so sorry for everything Ana. You mean more to me then my own problems. I'll make this up to you."

She sighs, "Whatever. Go to sleep." _Yep, that sounds like my wife_.

**Genevieve **

** Hayden was very upset last night when Christian and I didn't give her the full story on her Aunt. **When I returned home, she and Elliot were waiting up for me, and Hayden was beside herself. In a lot of ways, Hayden has three parents: Elliot, Me, and Nana. She would have been devastated if something happened to Ana.

She insists on coming to the hospital with me this morning. School has been out for several days so I am allowing her to join me this morning. Baby boy still has several more days of Pre-K and then he graduates from Pre-K on Saturday. I cannot believe my baby will be five very soon and going on to Kindergarten in August.

The morning comes and Elliot lovingly strokes my belly. He kisses me stomach several times and slowly tries to pry my top from my body.

"Elliot, your son will be awake any minute," I remind him as he straddles me, "Remind me to google "Pregnancy Fetishes" when I get home from the hospital today."

He chuckles as he massages my breasts_. Oh god, that feels good._ "I have no idea what you're talking about," he says innocently as his mouth begins to suck my left nipple. They are so sensitive and the wetness comes immediately between my thighs.

"We seriously had sex two times a day… maybe three times a day when I was pregnant with Rocky, and you're behaving the same way with this one."

He shrugs, "I don't know. You are just so soft, and you're always sexy, but I don't know, you're sexier…. Maybe I do have a fetish."

I giggle as he begins to take off his pants. "You do realize, that once you hit the third trimester, you tend to hate me so maybe my body is preparing, storing up for the winter, if you will."

We switch spots as I take off my panties and straddle him. I quickly lean down to kiss his nose. "Do you still want to keep the gender secret?" he asks as he softly rubs my stomach.

"I don't know," I say as I remember my niece. I didn't want to know before, but now that I know Ana is having a baby close to the same time as me, I want to know.

"Mommy, Mommy," I hear a pounding on our door, "Brefast!"

Elliot groans as I move to throw back on my panties and mom appropriate PJs. "Damn it Son," Elliot hisses.

"Rain check?" I ask as he puts his pants back on.

"You owe me several rain checks."

**Hayden and I walk into the hospital, hand in hand. **Since she is getting older, she hasn't let me do this in a while. She is getting too cool for Mom already. I think she is nervous about seeing Ana, and holding on to Mommy is a sense of comfort for her.

Grace is talking to other doctors when we arrive. "Hello girls," Grace says as she gives us hugs, "Dr. Fisher and Dr. Smalls, this is my other daughter-in-law and Anastasia's sister, Genevieve, and this is my granddaughter Hayden."

We shake hands as Grace turns her complete attention to us. "She is doing so well..." Grace beams, "They want to keep her here for several days, because they wanted to make sure both Ana and the baby are ok before they release her."

Hayden's eyes go wide. "Baby?"

Grace nods; happiness evident on her face, "I am going to be getting grandchild number four soon after grandchild number three arrives."

"Did you know, Mom?" Hayden asks, "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"It's a girl," I tell her, "and yes I did…"

Hayden squeals and begins happily running off to Ana's room. "Wait for me Hay," I yell for her, "And you don't even know which room she is in."

Hayden bursts through Ana's room and smiles at a surprised Christian and Ana. "You're having a baby?" Hayden squeals, "And holy fuck, what is wrong with your head and neck?"

"Hayden Carla," I scream at my daughter, "Language, please." Oh dear God, I hope she doesn't talk like this when she's at school or when she is with her friends.

"I'm fine Hayden," Ana says as Hayden takes a seat next to Christian, "And yes, you're going to have a cousin."

"I'm glad you're ok," she says softly, "I was so scared last night."

"Just a few bumps and bruises Hay," she says as Hayden reaches for her hand, "Nothing I can't handle. I'm tough."

Hayden nods and smiles. I take a seat next to Christian and he immediately turns to Hayden. "Hayden, let's go get breakfast for everyone. Give your Mom and your Aunt some time together."

She makes a face but eventually agrees. They leave and I move closer to Ana. We sit in silence for several seconds, and that's when the crying starts.

"Gen…"

"Ana, don't."

"I'm fine," she says, rolling her eyes at me, "I'll recover, and the baby is fine."

"You don't get it Ana," I tell her, tears flowing like a river down my face, "We lost our parents this way. I couldn't handle it if I lost you like this too."

She sighs, and I think she understands how I'm feeling. "I'm sorry…" she eventually says.

"And why haven't you told me about the baby yet? I know you and Christian were fighting, but I could have been there for you…"

"I don't know Gen," she says, eyes closing for a second, "I didn't want anyone to think less of him."

"For telling you to raise your child on your own… That he was forced to be a Dad."

"You two have been talking?"

I snort, "We had to do something while you were unconscious."

She breathes in deep, "He is a good man. Just a little fucked up, and a big fucking pain in the ass."

"That's for sure."

"I just wanted him to accept this before I started telling people… even you."

I nod, I guess that makes sense. "How's he doing?" I ask.

"Better… but I think almost losing me had something to do with that."

I smile, "You are so much smaller than me at four months. I am always a whale when I have these kids."

She laughs, "You aren't a whale…"

"That's probably why no one knew… you are tiny compared to the other Mrs. Grey…"

"Stop it."

I laugh, "Well, Elliot loves me pregnant."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I swear, that man has a fetish for pregnant women… he will not get off me."

Ana laughs, "Seriously?"

"We have sex constantly when I am pregnant, he almost hurts me at times," I say as Ana laughs.

She smiles brightly, "Our babies are going to be so close in age."

"I know. I really want a girl now so that our girls can play beauty shop and do other girly things together."

Ana's eyes go wide, and I realize she has no clue. "I'm having a girl?"

"Shit."

Christian and Hayden walk in a second later and tears are streaming down Ana's face.

"We're having a girl?"


	5. Tired, In Pain, and Mad as Hell

**A/N – Ok, last chapter before the real world starts. I got more inspiration for this story so I decided to post while I was full of ideas. I promise my next writing will be to finish up the last two chapters of Phoebe's babies (I hope to finish it up this week, but as soon as I say that, something big will come up lol). After all the angst, I'll definitely be needing some hearts and flowers. **

**I do not own FSOG. That right belongs to EL James. **

**Chapter 4 – Tired, in pain, and mad as hell **

**Ana **

** Christian sits at my side as the ultrasound technicians prepare for my ultra sound.** I want to see my daughter for myself, I need to see her. I need to know she is there, ready for me to fight for her. Genevieve moves to my other side with Hayden next to her. Genevieve grabs my hand with Christian quickly doing the same.

"I can't wait till she gets here," Hayden beams.

"You've got another five months for that Hayden," Gen reminds her as Hayden grins broadly.

"Are you going to come baby sit?" I ask Hayden as she nods.

"I'll be thirteen when both my cousin and my brother or sister is here…" she smirks, "I'll make so much money from babysitting."

Gen scoffs, "Why would I pay you to take care of your own sibling."

"I'm not talking about you Mom," she says, shaking her head, "I'm talking about Uncle Christian."

Hayden knows how to play her cards and she knows that Christian would be more than happy to pay her for her efforts. Christian smiles affectionately at Hayden, also understanding her game. "Only if you are ok with Gail being there when you babysit… but of course you can babysit and I'll absolutely pay you, I am not as cheap as your father."

"Ya heard that Mom… Dad is CHEAP."

The ultra sound technician laughs, "Is everyone ready…"

"Yes, on with it," I tell her.

Hayden whispers to Genevieve, "Mom, you need to figure out the gender of my brother or sister."

"Why," Gen whispers back.

"Why are you two whispering?" I ask both of them.

"Yep, there she is," the technician says, "Definitely a girl and a strong healthy heart beat. Obviously that car accident didn't derail her a bit."

The heart beat is what makes it real. The heart beat move her from a topic of argument between me and Christian to a living, breathing little girl. I look over at Christian and he is completely focused on the screen. I am still so fucking angry with him, but in her presence I can't be.

"There's our girl," I tell him as he nods. He leans over and kisses me gently.

"I want to know too," Genevieve finally says minutes later.

"Yes Mom, I want to know," Hayden says as she turns to me, "Can I get a picture of my cousin? I want to take her everywhere with me."

"Good thing it's the summer," Christian jokes, "You don't want people thinking it's your baby…" His words fall flat at the end, and Genevieve's expression is murderous. It's like he has gained a special talent for pissing off the Steele women recently.

"I know," Hayden says, shaking her head and not noticing her mother's rage or realizing the meaning behind Christian's comment, "I know a girl in 7th grade who got pregnant. That's crazy."

Genevieve sighs deeply, but she still scowls at Christian for his insensitive words. He rubs his eyes and I know he is tired, tired of being yelled at for his big mouth.

"Genevieve, you can go next," the technician says.

"Yes please," she says as we switch places.

Genevieve remains tense as we wait and I know it is because Hayden is getting older. She still hasn't put together that Genevieve gave birth to her at the tender age of sixteen, and now that she is nearing that age, I know this conversation needs to happen. The realization will happen very soon if Genevieve doesn't say anything, the age disparity between Hayden and Rocky and this new baby is quite staggering. She'll figure out that this isn't typical and piece the puzzle together.

"Alright Gen," she says as my niece or nephew fills the screen, "Looks like we have a second healthy Grey baby, and another little girl."

Genevieve and I both tear up as I place my arms around her neck. "They'll be just like us. Inseparable and the best friends," Gen says, getting teary eyed.

Through my quarrelling with my husband, the accident, and Sawyer's injuries, it is good to finally have good news.

** "Are you fucking kidding me," I hear Christian growl from the hallway. **I throw the last of my belongings into the suitcase Christian brought for me, and I peer outside. "He knows protocol. He knows that he was supposed to check in with you BEFORE he takes his time off. That is inexcusable; he could have been an extra set of hands to fight that fucker. Sawyer's injuries would not be as bad if someone else had been there to help. "

He's talking about Carlisle. Even though Sawyer dropped him off before the accident and wasn't there to help, I had a good week with him in New York City. He reminds me of Sawyer, kind eyes but a strong and silent worker. Then again, Sawyer will have an extended stay in the hospital because of him. I hate when Christian fires good people, but I get his reasoning this time.

"Yes sir, I agree," Taylor says, "He'll be fired, effective immediately."

"Baby," I say as Christian whips around, "Can we go see Sawyer before we leave?"

His gaze softens and he nods his head, "Yes we can."

"It's good to see you doing well, Mrs. Grey," Taylor says to me kindly, "And congratulations on your daughter. It will be fun to have a little girl around the house."

I know he misses his daughter Sophie. I am sure Hayden and Sophie will love doting on my little angel. Suddenly, an idea springs to mind.

"Thank you Taylor. By the way, I have been meaning to ask you – why don't you bring Sophie by to hang out with Hayden? She's around Hayden's age, right? Hayden could always use another friend."

Taylor's smile perks up, "That is a great idea. I'll be sure to arrange it with Sophie's mother."

The boy's follow me into my room and Christian zips up my bag and hands it to Taylor. He grabs my hand and walks me down the hall to Sawyer's room.

"Ana, I need to warn you," Christian says calmly, "Sawyer doesn't look good. I want you to be ready for a shock. If you aren't up for this then we can go home."

I close my eyes and take in a deep breath. _Sawyer did this to protect me. _I have to see him, and I have to thank him for what he did. He sacrificed his life for me and my daughter, it's the least I can do.

I shake my head as I take my hand out of Christian's. I don't quite understand how I feel about Christian right now. My head is still fuzzy over this entire situation. One minute, I miss him and want to be close to him. The next minute I don't want to be anywhere near him. What he said and how he has acted over the past month is inexcusable. He seems to be remorseful because he thought he might have lost me. I don't want that to be the only reason he is remorseful, I want him to really mean it and what this too.

We walk in and I am taken back by what I see. Bruises cover Sawyer's face, and he seems to be disfigured to a frightening extent. He turns his head and tries to smile when he sees us. Once I remember he is speechless, I reach for the pen and paper at his bedside.

"How are you feeling?" I ask him and Sawyer grunts.

Christian snickers, "He is slowly recovering vocal abilities. The doctors say he'll gain them back eventually, but it will be a slow process."

Sawyer grabs for the piece of paper and pen and begins to write. _How are you? How's the baby?_

"I'm good, she's good. You saved us both…" I say as my emotions catch. He reaches for my hand and holds it gently. Without a noise, he silently reassures me that everything is ok. He reaches for the piece of paper and pen and begins to write the sweetest thing I have ever read on paper.

_Seeing you alive and well and knowing the baby is alive and well leaves me with more satisfaction than I have ever had in this job. _

His sweet words bring me to tears and I sob deeply into Sawyer's hand. Christian comes up behind me, reads the words on the paper, and quickly moves me to his arms as I cry.

"Anything you need," Christian says softly, "It's yours."

As my tears begin to calm, I see him write something else with a smirk. _You don't need to cry. I'm fine Ana. It will be ok._

I nod and instantly feel guilty. "The last thing you need is me being a sobbing freak…"

He simply writes back – _Baby hormones._

**As Christian drives me home, I decide silently that I need space. **I don't know how he is going to take this, especially since we've been separated, in our own home, since I told him the news about the baby. A lot has happened, and after seeing Luke in the state he was in, I need some time and space away from Christian. I am hoping he'll go back to the guest room, but I know he'll fight me to at least sleep on the couch in our bedroom. I may be dragging this out, but right now I don't care. I am tired, mad at my husband, and my neck hurts like hell.

"I am going to take a nap when we get home," I tell him quietly.

"I'll lay down with you," he says, massaging my hand. Perfect. This is going to be a fight, I can smell it.

"Actually," I sigh, "I think it will be best if you stayed in the guest bedroom."

He breathes in sharply, like I slapped him. "Are you still mad?"

"Yes," I breathe in deeply, "I still don't think you're sorry." I feel tears fill my eyes as anger flashes across his face.

"God damn it Ana, what do I need to do? What do I need to say? I am sorry for how I have acted."

"You keep saying that, but you shut me out for a whole month. I needed you. I needed your support and you shut me out. I am sorry if I am still a little fucking upset about that."

"I need you," he says, to the point of tears, "I need to hold you and I need to be with you, I can't live like this anymore."

"I needed you too," I scream at him, "You didn't seem to want me then. You don't just get me when it is convenient for you."

He sobs silently to himself. I am surprised, he never gets this emotional. I try not to let that cloud my judgment.

"Tell me this… if I had never gotten into that accident, would you still feel this way?"

"I came to a big conclusion about us while you were in New York, and I know I fucked up. Before this happened, I knew I had a lot of work to do and I knew I had a lot of begging to do. Now, knowing I could have lost everything in an instant, I am speechless. I can't lose you and I can't live without you and our daughter."

His words are good, but I just need more time.

"Just give me more time Christian," I whisper, "We need to sleep separately for a while."

He pulls up to the house and he looks shattered. He looks like I beat him with the same bat that almost killed Sawyer. I want to move across the seat and hold him, but I am shattered too.

He helps me into the house while Gail follows along to collect the rest of my things. I immediately head to the bedroom and Christian begins arranging the pillows on the bed so I can sleep comfortably. He remains emotionless as he helps me onto the bed and I so badly want to know what is going through his head.

My neck is in a brace and as he scoots a new pillow under my head, I realize Christian purchased a special pillow for me to sleep comfortably. Once I am settled, he kisses me gently on the cheek. From there, he lifts up my shirt and leaves sweet kisses on my stomach. He softly touches my cheek one last time and exits the room. As I lie in the dark and try to fall asleep, I can't help but wonder if I am making a horrible mistake.


	6. 28-12

**A/N1 – I cried writing this so you might cry reading it. Just a small tissue alert before you read. I do not own FSOG – that goes to EL James. **

**Chapter 5 – 28-12**

**Christian **

** As I close the door and walk to the kitchen, I try not to fall apart**. I can't deal with this space between us anymore, it's tearing me apart. I know I caused this and I know I deserve this, but I just fucking miss her. I would rather she just scream at me and throw things, it would make all of this a whole lot easier.

As I walk in the room, Gail smiles fondly at me. "How's our patient?"

I can't help but snicker. "Her neck still hurts and she is angry at her husband."

She nods to herself and gives me a heartfelt smile. I know she heard the infamous conversation about the baby I had with Ana and she has remained more patient with me than I deserve. Gail has heard a lot and has had to put up with a lot over the years yet she still seems to tolerate me.

She sighs, "Mr. Grey, permission to speak freely?"

I nod, "I guess."

She turns to the answering machine and presses play.

_"Hello Mr. Grey, this is Gina Gallo, and I am happy to inform you that your property on the sound has been secured and your offer has been accepted. I know you wanted your brother to come by to discuss renovations. You are more than welcome to come by anytime you please, just call me back at 567-2840." _

"Perfect," I say to myself, "I am glad that family took my offer, I'd hate to kick them out…"

"I think now is the time to think proactively," Gail tells me as she hands me my wallet and Blackberry that I left on the kitchen counter, "Mrs. Grey has been through a traumatic situation. She is not herself right now, but I know with some rest, reflection, and a good cup of tea, she should be back on track. You need to be ready when she figures all of this out. There is no sense moping over the mistakes you have made, you need to prove you're ready for this. Actions speak louder than words."

I can't help but snicker at the simplicity. Gail is right; I need to start making moves, showing her that I am ready to be a father with my actions.

"Go to that house with Elliot and plan out a nursery. Bring her chocolates. Certain flowers make her gag so we should steer clear of flowers for a while. Give her time to think. She's been through a lot and needs a bit of "Ana time"."

"It's hard for me to do that," I confess, "Giving her time alone is hard for me…"

"Christian," she says in an admonishing tone, "She isn't going to leave you over this."

I stare at my hands and I try to get my thoughts together. I haven't talked this deeply with Gail ever, so I am fighting feelings of unease intermingled with the harshness of the truth. _Ana could do so much better than me; her daughter deserves a better father…_

"Stop," Gail says as she grabs my hand, "Call Elliot. Look at the house. Get proactive. I won't allow you to sit around your house and mope."

"If I want to sit around and mope, I can sit around and mope," I tell her rather petulantly, "I don't pay you for life advice." If the men I did business with saw me getting kicked in the ass by my housekeeper, I'd be the laughing stock of the business world. They would retroactively take my face off Time Magazine.

She lifts her eye brows in an expression that just shouts_, "Really?" _

"Fine," I say as I get up, "But if anyone asks, this was my idea."

"Whatever works for you Mr. Grey…"

**As I sign the last bit of paperwork for the estate, I hear Elliot's car climb up the drive. **Elliot was more than happy to come see the property with me when I called him. My account is a big one for his already growing company, and I have a feeling this will do wonders for his business. He walks up and stands next to me as we take in the sight of the mansion together.

"This is going to be a killer," Elliot whistles as he looks around, "But it is going to be incredible by the time it is done. Do you want to bulldoze it and then rebuild or renovate from what the other family left behind?"

I am surprised by Elliot's accurate inference of this situation. My first instinct says to bulldoze, but I have a feeling Ana will love the property and become attached. For a mansion, it still seems intimate and family friendly. She'll love that, I know it. "I have been inside the house, and if I know Ana, she'll want to renovate."

"Fair enough," Elliot says with a nod, "Let's take another look."

We take a walk through and I know this will be a big project. "At the very least, I want a nursery planned. Something tangible to give Ana," I tell Elliot as he nods. We walk further and I can tell Elliot wants to say something. He has probably been talking to Genevieve so I know he must have something on his mind. "For the love of God… just say what you want to say Elliot."

He snickers as he leads me to the kitchen. "Take a seat." He searches through the cabinets and I laugh when pulls out a bottle of the current family's Armagnac.

"The family still lives here Elliot," I remind him, "This is stealing."

"I doubt they'll care," he says as he pours me a glass and then pours one for himself. We sit in silence and drink and I know Elliot is fighting up the courage to talk. We don't talk much. We talk more now that we are married to sisters. For the first time in our lives, we have something very important to us in common.

"What?" I ask him.

He sighs, "Did I ever tell you about the time when I found out that I was going to be a Dad… when Genevieve was pregnant with Hayden."

"Elliot…" I sigh.

"Just here me out… this will have a point, I promise."

"I don't need a lecture," I tell him, "I know you've been talking to your wife and you must know about our fighting about the baby."

"Forget about our wives and all of that drama for a second," he says as he pours me another glass, "I just think you need to hear this."

I humor him and beseech him to proceed. "Go on…"

He nods and I can tell he is trying to find the right words. "When Genevieve told me she was pregnant, I was fucking scared shitless. When she called me to tell me she needed to talk to me, I thought she was going to let me fuck her again, God, I was such a dumbass. I flipped out and called Dad. I wasn't ready to be a father; I was barely ready to graduate high school."

I suddenly realize we have never had this conversation before. I always assumed I knew what had happened when Elliot found out Genevieve was pregnant with Hayden, but he has never given me the account in his own words.

"Dad took care of everything. He took care of all the legal aspects and he promised me he would have everything fixed in no time. Of course, I was an idiot and I really didn't comprehend what the impact would be for Genevieve and Hayden. I figured, "hey they have money so they'll be ok without me". I'll just throw some of Dad's money at them, and I'll have my life back."

"Where was I when all of this was happening?" I ask myself. I know the answer to this question – _I was fucking Elena._ My little brother was going through one of the biggest events in his young life, and I was sticking it to Mom's best friend.

"You were getting ready to go to Harvard, and you and Mia were keeping Mom busy while Dad was dealing with this shit. You remember when Dad and I took a weekend trip to Aspen? It was really to be there when Genevieve had Hayden. It was the only alibi Dad could think of while we waited for the paternity test," he tells me.

"I do remember that," I say in disbelief, "I was so pissed you guys didn't take me with you. I can't believe Hayden was brought into the world that weekend."

He nods and I see his face change. My brother got emotional when Rocky was born and when they found out Genevieve was pregnant again; of course he'll be emotional when he talks about Hayden.

"I waited in a room and was told that Genevieve had given birth to a girl. I didn't even know she was going to be a girl, no one had told me anything because of Dad. I was told that Gen had named her Hayden Carla, and that she was eight pounds, two ounces. When the nurse handed her to me, she told me how much she looked like me and how pretty she thought she was…" he says, his voice full of emotion, "I sat there with Hayden as they took blood from her for the test, and I kept thinking – what the hell am I doing? I thought I could pay my mistake away… and looking at her… I didn't want to hand her back to the nurses. I didn't even like the thought of them taking blood from her… she was just so little and innocent. Looking at her, I knew we didn't need the test. I knew she was mine, I could feel it in my bones."

He wipes errant tears from his eyes and takes another drink. "I thought you were a selfish bastard for signing your rights to Hayden away… I had no idea."

He nods, "I tried to get her back, I pleaded with Dad, but he wouldn't budge. When Gen took Hayden to Boston with Ana, I knew it was over. I knew I would never get them back. I was wrecked. I tried to move on, like Dad told me I should do, but I couldn't stop thinking about that moment in the hospital. When you met Ana and I found out who she was and who she was related to, it was like I was getting a second chance."

"I am happy I could help you out with that," I say as Elliot snickers, "But I have to ask… why did you end up going on dates with Kate and completely screwing everything up with Gen?" I am not asking this question to be a dick, he had the love of his life and he almost ruined everything. He knows what it is like to hurt the person he loved the most.

He growls, "Of course you would ask that. Ok, brother of mine who told his wife of four years to get an abortion, sometimes in life we fuck up. I realized I wouldn't love anyone more than I love Gen, and hopefully you'll get your head out of your ass and see that this little girl will probably be the best thing that has ever happened to you."

"I know…" I murmur to myself.

"Listen, Mom told me about your past… at least some of it. I get why you are freaking out. I know you are scared of failing and worrying about fucking up her life, fucking up both of their lives. But I am a living testament that fears will lead you to sitting in your bedroom, praying that you'll get to see your daughter again. They aren't worth the cost of pushing Ana away…"

"God, I thought you were such a dipshit, when did you get so wise?"

"Become a father at seventeen and then someone's Dad at nineteen. It's pretty fucking mind blowing."

I snort as he puts the liquor back into the kitchen cabinet. "Come on, let's go check and see about a nursery and then I'll get you back to Ana…"

**Elliot**

** As I pull into my house, I can't help but laugh. **Today, I gave my older brother words of wisdom. Never in a million years would I think that would happen. He actually listened to me; that must be a first for our relationship.

Hayden is sitting on the porch swing, doing her homework and playing with her long blonde curls. "Hey honey, how was your day?" I ask her as I lean over to kiss her forehead.

"Go away Dad," she snaps. I am taken back by her animosity as she swipes her arm at me, hitting the side of my face.

"Hayden Carla…"

"Go talk to Mom, she'll tell you," Hayden says cryptically as I head for the front door.

I nervously walk into my house as my son launces his little body at me. "DADDY!" he screams as I pick him up and throw him in the air.

"Hey buddy, how are you? Are you in a better mood than your sister?"

"Hay Hay is cwanky. She tode me to go waway," Rocky says as he pouts. He loves Hayden and Hayden loves her little brother, but being a twelve year old girl she definitely gets agitated with him.

"Give her some space buddy, she's almost a teenager and teenagers are supposed to be cranky."

He nods and runs off, leaving me with my wife. As she stares out at Hayden through the window, I know something is wrong.

"What is going on?" I ask as she shakes her head.

"What is twenty eight minus twelve?" she asks cryptically.

"What?" I ask as I look outside at Hayden, "Um… sixteen?"

Genevieve's eyebrows raise and it takes me a minute to realize what she means by that math equation. "Hayden knows that you gave birth to her at sixteen."

"And she is not taking it too well…"

"Tell me what happened," I ask as I sit down next to her. I rub her back and kiss her on the forehead.

"When I picked her up from school today, she was quiet, which is not like our daughter at all," she says, shaking her head at the memory, "When I asked her what was wrong, she asked me my age. I told her I was twenty eight, she pulled out a calculator and then she started crying."

"Damn, I didn't know she would get that upset," I say to myself as I stare out the window.

"She told me that we probably didn't love her, and that we only got together because I was pregnant with her. She said we didn't love her and that Rocky and the new baby were our second chances at having perfect kids…"

"Something must have happened at school today," I say in disbelief, "There is no way that Hayden Grey would believe something like that… we don't ever fight… we are a more loving family then mine ever was." I may have lived with Mother Theresa, but I also lived with Adolf Hitler. Growing up with the combination of Carrick and Grace wasn't pretty most the time.

"Oh no doubt she heard something at school today because it gets worse…"

"What do you mean?" I ask, suddenly very nervous.

"She asked me why her name is Steele-Grey on all her school records…"

I feel panic coming through me. Her name used to be only Steele, but we added Grey when Gen and I got together originally. She can't know the reasons why I wasn't there for the first three years of her life. I cannot lose my daughter over the mistakes I made when I was seventeen.

"A lot of people, especially around here, have hyphened names. Rocky has a hyphened name." We kept things the same for continuity.

Genevieve nods her head, "When she suggested she move in with Ana because she hated us, she started remembering parts of her early childhood and she realized you weren't in it."

"Shit."

"She told me she was going to finish her homework and run away to Ana's. She's so mad at both of us… especially you."

"Shit."

**A/N2 – Please review if you'd like, I hope you enjoyed it! I am 90% sure that I will get back to Phoebe's babies and finish that before I come back to this again. The other 10% of me isn't so sure about that. Lol. **


	7. Girl's Night

**A/N1 – Thanks for all the love the last chapter! There is a lemon this chapter and I do not own FSOG! EL James's lemons are always better than mine! Lol **

**Chapter 6 – Girl's Night**

**Ana**

** "I've got her," I tell my sister, "It's going to be ok Gen…."**

A lot happened during my two hours of slumber. I woke to a frantic phone call from Genevieve. Apparently, Hayden put together that Genevieve gave birth to her at sixteen and that Elliot wasn't around for the first three years of her life. She isn't taking it well and she has threatened to run away to my house. Of course, Hayden has to finish her homework first. My sweet little dork is in summer school. I don't know why she's in summer school; she's in the sixth grade for Pete's sake.

I am more than happy to take her in. I knew this conversation would happen eventually, she is getting older and we all knew we would need to be ready for when this day came. And quite Honestly, I need a sleepover with Hayden. The last couple days have been stressful and having a sleepover with Hayden sounds like the perfect medicine for my blues. I am excited for nail painting, chocolate eating, and movie watching, goofy fun with my favorite twelve year old.

"She has just never cut me out like this," Genevieve tells me, practically sobbing, "She won't talk to me. She won't talk to Elliot."

"We haven't had Hayden and Nana time in a while," I remind her, "She'll spend the evening with me. I'll set her straight. Gen, we'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Gen asks, tears subsiding.

"She has spent the entire summer with you and we have barely seen each other… I promised her a sleepover a long time ago. Don't worry, we'll have a good time and I'll send your kid back to you as good as new."

She snorts, "Ok, I guess I feel better. Just remember, her last day of summer school is in the morning so you'll have to take her."

"Why is she in summer school?" I ask, bemused by the idea, "She's in sixth grade and an honor student, what the hell?"

Gen laughs, "It is a reading camp, or something ridiculous. I don't know why, but all of her friends are in it so she wanted to be in it too."

"The same friends that talked crap about you having her at sixteen…"

"Trust me; I'm not pleased," she says and I know she's shaking her head, "I am thankful summer school ends tomorrow. I don't want her hanging around those people anymore…"

"I don't blame you…"

"By the way," she says, changing the subject, "Elliot and Christian had a talk…"

"Really?"

No doubt Genevieve told Elliot about our issues, and I have a feeling Christian and Elliot's topic of conversation ran along those lines. I am nervous to hear what they talked about.

"Yep," she says, "And Elliot thinks it went well…"

"What exactly did they talk about?" I ask nervously.

"He won't tell me, but I have a feeling it has something to do with your problems with Christian concerning the baby. And I really don't know what it means for the conversation to go well. Who the hell knows what a man heart to heart actually equates too…"

"Mrs. Grey," Taylor says from the living room, "Miss Grey is here."

"Thank you Taylor," I say as I turn my attention back to Gen, "Hayden is here. I'll take her to summer school tomorrow, and then I'll keep her for the weekend. Don't worry. I'll take good care of her. My goal is to have her back to you by Sunday night."

"Are you sure Christian won't mind?"

"Christian will deal," I say as I walk toward the elevators, "Don't worry about a thing Gen."

When I hang up my cell phone, the elevator doors open and my baby niece is standing in the entry. Her blonde hair is up in a bun and two duffel bags hang around her body. She is getting much taller, and I know she'll be an amazon like Gen and I.

"Hey baby girl, we're going to have the best weekend together." She bursts into tears as she falls into my arms. I stroke her hair as she cries. "Ah…" I grimace when she accidently squeezes too tight, "Gentle with the neck Hay."

"Oh," she says through her tears, "Sorry Nana." I can't help but smile. After all these years, I'm still Nana.

"No problem," I say as I place her face in my hands, "Mean Girls is on in the bedroom, Chinese food has been ordered, and Uncle Christian and I are fighting so that should assure that chocolates are on the way."

"I hate that you and Uncle Christian are fighting," she says with a pout, "But I love chocolates."

"That's my girl…"

** We curl up in bed as I pop in the movie. **I think Mean Girls is the perfect choice for tonight, considering Hayden's choice in friends lately.

"You're such a dork," I tell her as she giggles.

"Why am I a dork?"

"Who is in reading camp over the summer and who runs away from home AFTER she finishes her homework?" I tease her.

"Mom and Dad weren't going to take me away from my focus. I am getting high school credit for this class. It's a big deal," she says as the door opens.

Christian peers in with a tray in his hands. Gail is behind him, and I realize our Chinese food is sitting on the plates just asking to be consumed.

"Uncle Christian," Hayden beams, "I am sorry me and Nana are taking over your room."

Christian smiles brightly, "No problem. I am glad you're over for the weekend Hayden, she has really missed you." Christian points at me and Hayden giggles.

I don't know what is going on with me, but my earlier problems with Christian seemed to have evaporated. He is sweet, and serving me food in bed, and joking with my niece. It must be the damn baby hormones messing with my head. When he runs his hands through his hair and laughs as he talks to Hayden, I feel myself come a little bit.

"Mrs. Grey," Gail says, knocking me out of my daydream, "It seems that Mr. Grey and I forgot your drinks, what would you like to drink?"

"Um… water please," I say hoarsely.

"Hayden?"

"Diet Coke please," she says sweetly.

I look over at Christian and I feel myself lick my lips and smile at him seductively. He is looking scrumptious this evening and I want nothing more than to take him into the guest bedroom and throw him down on the bed. His look is one of total confusion. I told him two hours ago that I didn't want to be anywhere near him, and I know my face in this instance is telling him the opposite.

"Let's see this chocolate you brought home…" Hayden says, knocking me out of my erotic daydream once again.

"You brought us chocolate?" I ask, surprised.

Hayden snorts, "Didn't you hear him say that?"

_No, I was too busy thinking about what I would do with him naked_. "Of course I did."

He snickers as he hands Hayden the box. Hayden practically lunges for the box and begins eating the chocolates happily. She presses play and Mean Girls comes back to life as Christian moves around the bedroom. I stare at him, unable to keep my eyes off him. Hayden moves the chocolate box to my side and begins eating her Chinese food. Christian's eyes meet mine and I feel myself bite my lip. I see his eyes dilate and his chest move in and out quickly.

_You know what you are starting Anastasia_, my subconscious reprimands me, _you're still pissed at him, and no amount of kindness he shows to you or Hayden will change that. _

Fuck my bitchy subconscious.

"Hayden," I say to her as I move from the bed, "I need to go talk to your Uncle for a bit, are you going to be ok by yourself?"

She nods, "I'm good, take all the time you need."

_She really shouldn't have said that. _

"But come back, obviously…" she jokes, "This is our girl's weekend after all – he isn't invited."

"Of course I will be back," I tell her as I grab his hand. The feel of his hand in mine feels so freaking good. I want those hands on other parts of my currently clothed skin. He looks down at me with surprise as I focus my attention back to Hayden.

"I will be right back," I tell her adamantly. That statement seems to be more of a reminder to myself than anything else.

**I walk Christian through our house as he follows obediently. **"Where are we going?"

"The guest room," I say, practically panting, "The one with the lock on the door."

"Why do you need a lock on the door, and why are we going halfway across the apartment?"

"First off," I say as I practically shove him into the room, "I think you know why we need a lock on the door and second, going to the other side of the apartment will ensure that no one hears us because you are going to make me come like a freight train."

"Ana…" he breathes as I close the door and throw him on the bed. For my neck being out of commission, I am in a surprisingly violent mood. I pull off my shirt and straddle him on the bed. "Don't start something you can't finish," he says hoarsely.

"An injury to my vagina wouldn't stop me from what I am about to do to you…"

"You hated me three hours ago," he reminds me as I rub myself against his growing erection.

"Hate and love are two horns on the same goat…" I tell him as I kiss him. He grabs my bottom and a small moan escapes my throat.

He snickers as I keep rubbing my crotch against his. We haven't had sex in a month, and I have crazy baby hormones rushing through my body. I want him… now.

"Your neck," he whispers as I reach for the zipper on his jeans, "I don't want to hurt you baby."

"How about I get on top," I whisper as I unzip his pants.

"Oh god," he groans as I rub up and down his thick length, "I have missed you."

"I've missed you too," I say as I begin stripping for him, "Let's not go a month without sex ever again."

"Here, here," he says as he gets completely naked. Of course, I am also naked except for my neck brace. He snickers as he helps the brace off my neck. He leans down and lightly kisses my skin, sending shivers down my spine.

He begins to kiss down my skin, moving from my neck, to my chest, and on to my stomach, getting as much of me as he can get. My hands are gripping his hair so deeply; I am surprised I haven't ripped his hair follicles out.

He stops against my stomach and I feel a smile against my skin. "I realized something today, baby…"

I take in a deep breath, trying to slow my beating heart. "What's that…?" I murmur hoarsely.

"I was scared about the baby… nervous I'd mess her up with my shit. Then I realized she'd have you has a mother, and how perfect you'll be with her. I'll learn all of this father stuff through you."

_Oh my god, I want him._ He is saying such sweet things to me, and is completely naked while he says them. I want to add more to his small speech about fatherhood, and I want to reassure him that he'll be a good father with or without my guidance. I want to tell him that I hate that he thinks so low of himself at times, but I am way too aroused to speak.

"There is going to be a mini-you running around the world," he says in awe, kissing my stomach, "I don't know why that freaked me out so much."

"She is going to love her Daddy," I tell him as he continues to kiss me, "She'll have you wrapped around her finger."

He snorts, "If she's anything like you… no doubt."

"Oh my god, you're so damn hot when you're this sweet, just fuck me already. I want you…" I breathe as he chuckles.

"Now sweetie," he says to my stomach, "Don't listen to Mommy right now. She's not even thirty five yet which is when Daddy will let you start dating…"

He is stalling and it is driving me crazy. He is being quite adorable while he stalls, but still. I need him now so I can get back to my girl's weekend with Hayden. I throw Christian down on the bed and position myself over him. Without another word, I sink down onto his waiting erection and Christian's guttural groan drives me wild.

"You're so wet…" he breathes as I move, slowly in and slowly out. He sits up and kisses me deeply as I continue to move up and down. "No. More. Fighting," he grunts out as we pick up our pace. I have been without him for too long and I know I am about to come fast and hard.

"When Hayden leaves, I am locking you in our bedroom for hours and no clothing will be involved," he grunts out in my ear.

That's all I can take, I come violently and Christian follows, mashing our mouths together as we ride out our orgasm.

"Oh God, that was good," I breathe.

"I should have knocked you up earlier," he jokes, "I didn't realize you'd get this horny."

I smack him playfully on the arm as I get up and look for my clothes.

**I sneak back into the bedroom and Hayden is giggling along with the television. **When she sees me, she points to my missing tray of food.

"Mrs. Taylor came in a second after you left with Uncle Christian, and re-heated your food. She said to call when you're ready for it…" I nod and lay down next to her on the bed. "Where'd you go?"

"Uncle Christian and I had some things we needed to talk about."

She nods, accepting the answer, "I love this movie. It is so funny."

I feel my neck start to cramp up. Perfect, maybe I shouldn't have taken off that neck brace. _Whatever, it was worth it; you needed to get some,_ my subconscious smirks at me.

"Are you feeling ok Nana?" Hayden asks as she lightly plays with my hair.

"Yep," I tell her, "How about you, Miss I am running away from home. You know we still need to talk about that, right?"

She sighs, "I just needed a break from Mom and Dad. Mom is a freak when she is pregnant and being all bossy and in my business. Dad is doing the same thing; I just wish they'd leave me alone."

Spoken like a true teenager. "So this has nothing to do with what you learned about them."

I see her tear up and she shakes her head, "It's just all too much. They expect me to be this perfect little angel when they screwed up more than I ever have."

That comment is way too cryptic, but I decide not to dig deeper tonight. "That can't be everything," I say, stroking her hair.

Tears prick her eyes and she tries her hardest not to cry. "Honey, your Daddy loves you."

"No he doesn't," she sobs.

"Why could you ever say that?" I say as I hold her close to me, "When has he ever made you think any different?"

"He yells at me when I make Mom upset or when I stay out too late," she sobs, "I feel like I am always making him mad. He loves Rocky."

I sigh, "Sometimes when kids become teenagers, the dynamics of the relationship change with parents because you are different. He gets aggravated because he wants you safe. Uncle Christian is the same way with me, and I'm not a kid. Your Dad loves you Hayden."

"He wasn't around till I was three," she tells me, "He probably felt obligated to come back… I am just a bug to him; an annoying bug that he was stuck with."

"Honey," I say as I take her face in my hands, "You have this backwards. Things happened when you were born, things that weren't your fault, and he went away but he got a second chance with you and your Mom when you turned three. He wanted to be back in your life so badly, he adores you. You need to give him a chance to tell you this all himself. Both your Dad and your Mom need to tell you. I know for a fact that your parents love you beyond belief. Just because you came into this world in an unconventional fashion doesn't mean they don't love you deeply and unconditionally. Please believe you are loved deeply by everyone in your life."

She nods sadly and focuses on the television. "Can we just watch Mean Girls?" she asks, still sniffling, "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

It has been a long day and Hayden has school in the morning. "Yeah baby girl, we can…"

**A/N2 – Reviews are always appreciated! **


	8. All Will Be Revealed

**Chapter 8 – All will be revealed **

**Ana **

** "Nana," I hear a small voice next to my ear.** I pry my eyes open and I see Hayden's face next to mine. "Uncle Christian is taking me to school."

"No," I murmur. My voice is obviously still half asleep, "Me."

"What?"

I sit up and I feel the pain radiate all over my body. "Agh…. I take you to school," I gargle out.

"No Nana," Hayden says shaking her head, "You just got out of the hospital. You don't need to drive me. I just wanted to say bye before I left."

I ignore her and search for my car keys. I step out into the Great Room and I feel Christian's eyes on me. It's then that I realize I am sore from last night's sneaky sexual escapades.

"Baby, what are you doing?" Christian asks as I finally find the keys to the R8.

"I'm taking my niece to school," I announce.

Christian's eyes go wide. "Oh no you aren't."

"Yes, I am," I pronounce as I head for the door.

"Taylor, stop her," Christian says as Taylor jumps in front of the elevator.

"Tay-lor," I say sweetly, "Let me through."

"I apologize, Mrs. Grey," Taylor says as he shakes his head, "While I find your husband's overprotectiveness and interference in your daily life rather disturbing, I agree this time."

I turn around and I smile when I see that Christian is scowling at Taylor for his little comment. "You just got out of the hospital Anastasia," Christian says sternly as he moves his attention from Taylor on to me.

"You aren't going to let me in a car for a while are you?"

"No," Christian says as he moves fluidly over to me, "Because I love you…" He leans over for a kiss and I press lips together firmly and try to deny him. He pulls away and shakes his head with a smirk, probably not being persistent due to the twelve year old standing in the room.

"Reynolds and I will take Hayden to school and then I have to drop by work for a couple of hours," Christian tells me, "And then I am coming home to keep an eye on you."

"You always take Taylor," I point out, "Why are you taking Reynolds?"

He smirks, "You need backup while I am gone. I only trust Taylor to make sure you don't try to run out and do something stupid."

I roll my eyes and he smirks. "Let's go Hayden," he says as she follows. Hayden gives me a quick hug and I kiss her on the head. She heads for the door and Christian tries again for a kiss. This time I allow him a quick kiss before he follows our niece out.

"I'll be back tonight," Hayden announces, "At school, I'll think of a long list of things we can do this weekend for our girl's weekend."

"Sounds good, bye baby girl. Have a good day at school." That statement fills me with excitement when I realize I get to say it to my baby girl in the near future.

"Bye baby, I'll be home before you know it," Christian says with a cocky smirk.

As the elevator closes, Gail approaches me quietly. I didn't even realize she was there.

"How about we get some breakfast Mrs. Grey so I can give you your medicine," she says sweetly as she grabs my hand. I comply with a frown as she begins making my breakfast of choice.

Seconds later, I get a text message from Christian:

_At work, I'll think of a long list of things we can do when I get home…. Be ready. - C_

I scoff, feeling the need to be sassy after he locked me at home against my will.

_Ow, my neck hurts. Sorry baby. - A_

I turn off my phone and focus on eating. I mentally prepare myself to be alone at home and completely bored. I hate sitting around the apartment with nothing to do. My neck hurts, but it isn't awful with the neck brace. I can still go about my everyday business. I don't want to hang around like a bored housewife while my husband goes off and plays "Master of the Universe". I have a job that I like and that I miss. Suddenly, a plan takes shape in my head and I smile broadly as I plan my great escape.

**"How are you feeling?" Giselle asks as I attempt to get dressed while on the phone with her. **

"Even though I am a little sore, I am doing better. The overprotective husband is keeping me on house arrest." Giselle Herrera is my number two at the gallery, and is in charge while I am recovering from the accident. Giselle is young, competent, and could have been an extra on "Sex and the City."

"No shit," Giselle says with a sigh, "I would be too. I heard some rumors about the accident; did somebody really beat your security guard with a tire iron?"

I have tried not to think too deeply about the accident and why somebody tried to kill me. I know if I think too hard about all of this, I'll drive myself nuts with worry. Christian is enlisting his security team to figure out what happened, and I am placing my trust in them. I also know that there are versions of the story of my accident that have run through this town like the flu. It is crazy what people make up these days.

"I am not supposed to talk about what happened," I tell her, "But that did not happen." I don't mention that it wasn't a tire iron, it was a bat.

She sighs, "When will I get to see you? I hope it's soon. You're missed around here…"

I peer outside my bedroom and see Taylor talking to Gail in the hallway. "Hopefully soon," I whisper, "I am planning my great escape right now."

She snickers, "Good luck and god speed."

I hang up the phone and wait. Very soon, Gail will be heading to her quarters after she checks on me, and Taylor will head to his office. I just have to find a way for Taylor to get upstairs long enough for me to head for the elevator and out the door.

Finally after Gail checks on me, I send her to her quarters for the afternoon. Even if I wasn't planning to escape, I am fully capable of taking care of myself – hurt or not. Taylor is my biggest issue. He isn't an idiot and coaxing him to go upstairs for the right amount of time will be difficult.

"Mrs. Grey," Taylor says with a knock on the door. I jump two feet in the air out of surprise and open the door.

"Yes?"

"I just wanted you to know, we have a few maintenance workers here to fix a few things and I need to supervise. Let me know if you need anything in the meantime."

It was almost like I am destined to sneak out. I had no idea it would be this easy.

"Ok," I nod. He walks away and I wait as he leads the maintenance men through the apartment. I finish dressing and wait for what seems like the right moment. I grab my keys and rush for the door. I press the elevator button and wait the long seconds for it to arrive at my door. It opens and I cringe as the loud "bing" gives me away.

"Mrs. Grey…." I hear Gail say down the hall, "Mrs. Grey, where are you going? You shouldn't be driving." The elevator closes, ensuring my escape – for a while.

**The ride over to the gallery was excellent; it feels good to get out and into the sunshine. **When I walk in, I practically start a mob scene.

"Mrs. Grey," Serena, the new blonde and very peppy receptionist squeals, "This is a pleasant surprise! I thought you'd be in bed resting?"

"I needed an escape," I say as I head toward my office that is now populated with Giselle's belongings.

"Oh my god," Giselle sighs when she sees me, "You broke out of Alcatraz. Impressive, it's really good to see you."

"Thanks, but don't expect this to last for long. I expect a rescue mission to come find me any minute."

"If that brings that sexy husband of yours or those sexy security men that he hires… then by all means, sneak out more often."

I laugh, "You lacking in the men department lately?"

"Yes," she sighs dramatically, "And it's awful… I think I might die if I don't get some..."

I laugh as Serena enters the room. "The male model class is starting," Serena squeals in delight.

"THANK YOU JESUS," Giselle sighs, "This is going to be a lunch break to remember."

"Christian will freak if he comes into this office and catches me in the nude male model class, he hates it enough as it is."

Giselle laughs, "Oh, to have your life." She sits me down on a rolling chair and nicely rolls it out the door to keep me moving. "Just because you are married to Mr. Adonis himself, doesn't mean you can't admire the male form."

"Actually, I think that's exactly what that means," Serena jokes as Giselle rolls me into the classroom.

"You are a gallery owner. This is art. This is a part of the job, and if Mr. Sex on legs himself didn't want nude men walking around his wife then he shouldn't have bought you the damn studio," Giselle says as she pulls out a chair and sits next to me.

I know Taylor must be on his way. Gail probably frantically told Taylor and then he probably called Christian and they are both probably on their way. They are quite predictable and what I am doing is like playing with fire.

An attractive man in a robe walks to the front of the class and smiles at all three of us. When I created my studio, I knew immediately that I wanted art classes to be a part of our identity. I want everyone to have a chance to take art and photography classes and to expand their minds in that way. My director of art education is Michael Rice, a raven haired man in his late forties. When he enters the room, his blue eyes beam when he sees us in the back.

"Mrs. Grey," Rice beams, "It is so good to see you up and about. I hope that means you're feeling well."

"Thank you, and yes I am."

He nods and points to the male model at the front of the class, "Good. Mrs. Grey, this is our newest model Xavier, I hired him for the nude sketching class."

Xavier is tall, tan, blonde, very attractive, and has a six pack that rivals my husband's. I know Michael wants to jump his bones once this class raps up. Rice is a lot older than Xavier, but that little fact doesn't bother Rice much. Michael Rice will jump any gay man who moves, and I have no doubts that Rice loves his job a little too much.

The class begins and Xavier drops the robe and his boxers. Serena, Giselle, and I all nod at each other appreciatively. There was a time where I would sit in a college art class and blush at the sight of a man's package. Now I see them all the time, and have been able to compare and contrast over the years.

Xavier seems to be bigger than Ryan, the only other man I have been with beside my husband, but Christian still has him beat in the package department. I haven't found a male model yet that could rival my well hung husband. Christian is aware that nude male models often visit my place of work and he isn't fond of the idea. He leaves me alone due to the fact that he gets weekly reports from Rice that they are all very gay and not interested in me in the slightest.

"Impressive," Serena says with a breathy tone.

I laugh at her, "Serena, he's gay."

"No kidding, Rice can't keep his grubby eyes off him," Giselle whispers.

"Why are all these male models gay?" Serena pouts, "Can't Rice help a sister out?"

Rice comes over and looks at me nervously. "What is it?" I whisper to Michael.

"I heard you three talking, and well. Just to spice things up a little bit, I've picked a few straight men for this unit of study."

Serena and Giselle's eyes light up as if it was Christmas and I know my mouth is on the floor.

"But I thought…"

"I did it because you were home after a major accident. Grey didn't care," Michael whispers back, "I teach Nude sketching all the time and I just wanted to try something different. Straight men's bodies… they're just different."

"That sure sounds like a stereotype," I hiss.

"I have yet to find a gay guy ripped like that," Rice points to Xavier, "If I did, we would be married by now."

Xavier is an impressive specimen, but I doubt his claim that body shapes between sexual orientations are different. "Trust me Ana, I have more experience with Gay men then you do… I could write a fucking thesis."

He's got me there. "Oh my god Mrs. Grey," Serena whispers, "He is staring at you."

We both look up and Xavier's green eyes are locked on me. "Lucky bitch," Rice whispers under his breath. Something hits me. Some serious force courses through my veins and I have the sudden urge to move.

"What's going on out there," Serena whispers as we turn around. I look behind us and I see him, our eyes lock instantly. The person I knew would come after me once he figured out my plan to escape. I knew this was going to happen, but I let it happen anyway.

Christian Grey is standing in my offices, staring fiercely through the glass windows at the naked male model who is staring right at me.

Oh, shit.

"Eyes off my wife," Christian growls once he enters the room. He grabs my hand and escorts me out of the building.

"This is embarrassing," I whisper as he pulls me out of the offices and to the parking garage. The whole building stared us down as we exited. I am sure this looks very unprofessional in front of my employees. Taylor is waiting, his face burning with anger. Even though Taylor is mad, I am mighty impressed that I was able to give him the slip.

"What were your instructions this morning?" Christian barks.

"Stay at home and obey like a dog," I snap back.

He practically growls at me. "It was to stay at home because YESTERDAY I brought you home from the hospital after a MAJOR car accident. I don't think that's too much to ask Anastasia," he says, fuming from every pore.

For a split second, I see worry flash across his face which he quickly covers with more anger_. I am an idiot. I am a really big fucking idiot._ Keeping me home locked up like a prisoner was his attempt to keep me safe, to keep his sanity intact. No doubt the accident scarred my sweet little control freak, and I know I will have to deal with his extra overprotective side for a while.

I hold his face in my hands and kiss him softly. He tries to pull what I did earlier this morning and deny me my kiss, but I keep strong and get some semblance of a kiss out of my cranky husband. "I'm sorry," I tell him softly, "I was stupid, I shouldn't have snuck out."

I see relief come and be quickly replaced by anger. "Get in the car Anastasia and don't worry me like this again."

I nod and Taylor opens the door for me. After I get in, Christian sits beside me as Taylor starts up the car. I cuddle next to him and place my head on his shoulder. He tenses for a second, but finally succumbs to my insistence. I feel his nose move to my hair as he takes in a deep breath. He sighs contently as he holds me tighter. My heart hurts in my chest as I realize that I really worried him today. I almost died just a few days ago and here I am running around like an insensitive jerk.

"Can you please stay home with me if you insist on keeping me from work?" I ask sweetly.

He snickers, "I guess…"

I move my head to look at him and move as much as I can without hurting my neck too badly.

"I should take you over my knee for not wearing that neck brace. I really do need to monitor you 24/7," Christian murmurs as I snicker.

"Just kiss me, Mr. Control Freak." He kisses me lightly, and I pray that his earlier worry is forgotten.

**When we walk back into the apartment, Christian leads me straight to the bedroom. **

"Lay down," Christian demands when he closes the door.

"What do you have in mind, Mr. Grey," I ask as I comply with his request.

"Well," he says with a smirk, "I told you I had plans for you, and this was one of them." I lay down on our bed as he dims the lights. He quickly lights a few candles and then leans over and kisses me.

"What are you doing…"

"Well," he says with a reluctant sigh, "I want to try something different. Liven things up a little bit."

"Explain."

He smirks his sexy smirk and kisses me deeply. "I think my body should do all the work."

Every part of me is excited to hear those words. "I like the sound of that…"

Suddenly, he clicks a button and really cheesy, over the top music bursts through the room. He begins to strip and I am in shock. I do this for him all the time, I throw on cheesy music and take off my clothes and grind all over him. He loves it, but I have never expected him to reciprocate. I fall into a fit of giggles and he begins to smile brightly as he grinds into me.

"I look better than that douchebag male model, right?" he asks as I sigh in exasperation.

"Of course you are… why do you even have to ask?"

He grins as he continues to grind into me, "Alright baby, you ready for the best part…"

"I'm always ready for the best part," I laugh as he reaches for the button on his pants.

"You have no idea woman," he laughs as he pulls off his pants in one swift motion.

"You're wearing a thong?" I ask in shock, "When did you buy a thong?"

"When you were in New York and when you were still pissed at me," he says as he turns around. My jaw falls straight to the floor. _"I'm sorry," _is written clearly on the black thong in silver letters.

"What the hell has gotten into you?" I say as I begin hysterically laughing.

He crawls up onto the bed, stupid music still blasting through our room, and leans close to my ear. "I knew I screwed up and I just decided to take change tactics and try something different. I wasn't going to show you after last night, but being at home all day by yourself… at least for part of the day… I wanted to make you laugh and giggle."

"You are so damn cute," I say as I pull him in for a kiss, "You are forgiven. Am I forgiven?"

He closes his eyes, exasperation evident on his face. "Just don't scare me like that again."

"Deal," I say as I pull him in for a second kiss, "I fucking love you."

He snorts, "I fucking love you too."

"And I plan on showing you how much I love you," I say as I reach for the sides of the thong, "Do you know the best thing about a man thong…"

"There can't be many good things," he says wryly as I giggle.

"Easy access." I pull down the thong, and suck the luscious man in front of me to completion.

**Christian **

** She's sprawled out on the bed, sweaty and naked from our afternoon of fucking. **After a month of being without that body, I have definitely needed to make up for lost time.

"I didn't hurt your neck?" I ask as I lean over for a kiss.

"Eh," she says, "It's probably time for my pain pill." I shake my head at my wife. I don't think I've ever met a person less concerned about pain. Good thing she'll be the one giving birth to our daughter in five months and not me.

I spread out across her and start leaving kisses up and down her body. "You know… one thing we haven't done today…" I say as I continue kissing and sucking on her soft skin.

"What's that?" she asks dreamily. I stop at her stomach and leave a few kisses for our daughter. I know next to nothing about pregnancies, something I hope to fix this weekend, but I hope our daughter couldn't hear the awful things I said while I was fighting with Ana.

"Daddy loves you," I whisper as I kiss her stomach again.

Ana giggles, "What were you saying?"

I smile and softly run my tongue across her nipples. "I was just thinking… I haven't made you come like this in a while."

I begin to softly lick one nipple and then move over to the next. I move on to a little bit of suction and I notice Ana clench the comforter. She mewls softly as I work harder. Her moans become deeper as I continue to tease and play with her soft breasts. After a few more minutes of biting at her beautiful skin, she comes loudly and screams my name as she does.

"That was so good," she purrs as I lean in for a kiss.

"Perfect timing," I say as I grab my phone from the dresser, "Hayden should be here any minute."

We quickly dress and walk out to the Great room. Hayden is sitting at the kitchen bar stool, chatting with Gail happily. I suddenly realize that Welch, my head of security, is also here and waiting on the sofa.

"Welch," I say as I shake his hand, "How long have you been waiting?"

"Just got here," he says, "Can we have a chat in your office?"

_Shit,_ it is not a good thing that Welch is at my apartment. I put him at the head of the investigation over Ana's attacker and he never makes home visits. He must know something, this isn't good at all.

"Gail, can you feed my wife while I meet with Mr. Welch?" I ask as I lean over to kiss Ana's temple.

"Of course, Mr. Grey…"

"Is everything ok?" she asks, looking at both Welch and I.

"No need to worry Mrs. Grey," Welch says and I know he is lying straight through his teeth, "This will only take a minute."

I give her a look of reassurance and escort Welch to my office. I lock the door and take a seat at my desk.

"Something is wrong, I can feel it."

He nods, "We have done some digging and I have news. News I felt warranted a home visit."

"Shit," I breathe as I run my hands through my hair, "Just tell me, No bullshitting around."

He nods in understanding. "Well, we've investigated what we know about the attacker and what both Sawyer and Ana was able to tell us. We looked at all possible leads and went down every direction possible… and we found something that none of us expected us to find."

"What's that?" I breathe out.

"We have reason to believe," Welch says with a side, "That Ray Steele was murdered."

I feel my stomach fall to the floor. "What the hell? Ana will be devastated when she hears this."

"There's more."

"There is fucking more?" I almost yell as my anxiety rises.

He sighs, "We also have reason to believe…. That Carla Steele is still alive."

_ What the fuck?_

**A/N – Dun Dun Dun…. Lol. I don't own FSOG and Reviews are very much appreciated. **


	9. Secrets: Part 1

**A/N1 – This is a filler chapter, but hopefully it answers a few questions from the last chapter (or will probably bring up more lol). And I also didn't have the patience to combine it with the next part so that should be in the next chapter. I do not own FSOG **

**Chapter 9 – Secrets: Part 1**

**Ana **

** "Nana," Hayden turns to me, "Why do you keep looking at Uncle Christian's office?"**

"He's been in there a while," I murmur to myself. I know something is going on. Christian put Welch on the case of my accident, and I know something is wrong. I am anxious to find out what it is, and I am nervous that Christian won't tell me.

"Mrs. Grey…. Left foot," the pedicurist says to me as she aggressively pulls my leg. Christian hired a pedicurist for the evening that arrived shortly after he went into the office with Welch.

"Nana, just enjoy. I am sure it's just boy stuff…"

"Yeah, boy stuff," I say with a snicker. I decide to move the topic to Hayden to distract me from what is going on in that office. "So…"

"So what?" Hayden says as she picks pink, "I want my toes and hands pink."

"I mean, so – when are we going to talk to your Mom and Dad?"

She snorts, "Never."

"Hayden…"

"They're probably fine without me," she murmurs, "Enjoying life with Rocky and buying things for the new baby."

"Hayden, you know that's not true. I know they miss you."

"Have you talked to Mom?" she asks, "Or Dad… have they called me at all? That's what I thought."

"They are giving you your space. I am sure they miss you," I tell her.

She rolls her eyes, "I'll believe it when I see it."

Suddenly, my phone rings and one of the technicians grabs it and hands it to me. Gen's name is as big as life on the screen and I scoff at my niece.

"You two planned that," she huffs.

"You can live in denial that your parents don't love you or you can forgive them and move on, your choice," I say as I answer. She shakes her head as Gen's voice comes through the phone.

"Hey," Gen says nervously, "Just checking in…"

"I'm glad you did… we were just talking about you…"

"You were?" Gen asks with surprise in her tone, "I hope that's a good thing."

"It is…" I say, looking over at Hayden.

"Listen," Gen says softly, "Elliot and I are losing our minds over here. We want to talk to her, we want to set the record straight and make this right. Can we possibly talk to her? We'll come there…"

"I think that's a perfect idea…" I tell her.

"Please tell me you aren't making plans for me without my consent," Hayden groans.

"Is she open to it?" Genevieve asks.

"Oh, she'll be open to talking to you tomorrow," I say, turning my head to Hayden and making sure she hears me, "We'll cut the girls weekend short if she isn't open to talking to you."

Gen laughs as Hayden rolls her eyes. "Wow, that's cold," Gen says with a chuckle.

"Tough love," I tell her as Hayden pouts. _She'll get over it. _

"Elliot and I will be over sometime tomorrow then, I think I can get Grace to watch Rocky for the afternoon," Gen informs me.

"Sounds good."

"And thank you for taking care of her," she says, almost sobbing, "I don't know what I'd do without you."

The message behind her words is striking. "First Christian freaking out about me almost dying and then you…" I point out as she laughs through her tears.

"Give us both a break… we love you," she says as I hear Rocky wailing in the background, "I've gotta go. Please tell Hayden we love her and we miss her. We're both still so upset that she left and we want her to come home."

"I will, love you Gen."

"Love you Ana," she says as we both hang up.

"She's lying," Hayden mutters under her breath.

"Hey," I say, grabbing her hand, "I know you're twelve and you think you know everything in the universe, but you need to deal with the fact that we all love you, and this little hissy fit you're throwing is tearing us all apart. Your parents love you and are devastated that you think any less. Tomorrow, they are coming over to talk to you, and if you continue to act like this, I am kicking you out on your butt."

Her eyes go wide, "Nana!"

"I mean it Hayden," I admonish her; "We raised you better than this."

"That's the problem, you raised me… Dad didn't have anything to do with it."

"Hayden, he's been in your life since you were three…. And I left you from the ages of three till you were eight. So really you should be pissed off at me," I inform her.

She sits for a second, weighing my words. "I forgot about that."

"Apparently you forgot a lot of things, you don't know everything Hayden, and that's why your Mom and Dad need to talk to you."

She nods and suddenly gets very quiet.

Welch and Christian finally exit the office and they both look immediately at me. "Mrs. Grey, can I have a word?" Welch asks.

The pedicurist places toe separators on my feet and nods her approval. Christian grabs my hand for support and all three of us move to the kitchen table. I feel awkward about the situation so I offer Welch something to drink.

"No, but thank you Mrs. Grey, I really need to be going very soon," he says as he pulls out a slip of paper, "What I have here is a mock version of a check. I need you to take a good look at it and tell me if you recognize it."

I snort as he hands it to me. This was not where I expected this line of questioning to go. I eye the check and the blue borders, and I realize it does look familiar.

"Yes," I say with a nod, "I remember getting these every month. Usually with a hefty sum"

Welch glances at Christian and takes it from my hand and lays it flat on the table. "When?"

"When did I get them?" He nods as I take in a deep breath. "Soon after I turned eighteen and was granted custody of Genevieve."

Welch nods his head and an unnamed emotion crosses Christian's face. Welch pulls out another check, and hands it to me.

"What about this?" he asks. This check is similar, except this check has a pink border.

I nod. "They were sent to me…," I point to Hayden and whisper, "…When she was born."

He nods and puts both checks away, "That's all I need, thank you Mrs. Grey."

I try to stop Welch and ask why he's asking me about old checks, but he is already out the door, and my feet are halted due to my toe separators. Christian returns and our eyes meet across the room. I silently implore him to talk to me and he sighs deeply.

"Hayden," I call for her, my eyes still locked on Christian's, "I need to talk to your Uncle in the other room. I'll be back in a second."

"Ok…" she says as the pedicurist moves to her hands. She'll be occupied for a while, which leaves Christian and I plenty of time to talk.

"Your toes should be dry, Mrs. Grey," the nail technician informs me. _Perfect_, I slide off the separators and drag my husband into our bedroom.

"Before you start in on me…" Christian begins as the door shuts, "You need to know that I cannot tell you why Welch asked you those questions."

I feel my jaw drop to the floor, "Like hell you can't."

I thought we got past this, him keeping shit from me for the pretense of my protection. We had so many fights the first two years we were married because of this bullshit. I will do anything not to fall back into that pattern.

"Ana stop."

"No, we've talked about this. You can't keep things from me… you remember how many fights have been caused from you keeping shit from me."

He grabs my face and meets me eyes. "Welch has a lead in your case," he says calmly, "The checks are a part of that… But his lead isn't a sure thing, not yet at least. I don't want to tell you what we talked about because what if it doesn't follow through and you are heartbroken? I won't let that happen. I want to make sure we have a sure thing before you are given potentially life changing information."

What is he talking about? I am so confused about what he is trying to tell me. At least he is explaining his thinking and why he is acting this way. He has never given me that much before.

"Just trust me please Ana," he pleads as he kisses me.

"Will you tell me eventually?" I ask softly.

"Once we have definite answers, I'll tell you everything," he says, "I can't have your heart break again… I've done that enough in the last couple of months. You've been through too much shit."

He cups my small stomach and looks at me with raw eyes. His expression is desperate, and he seems so broken at the possibility of me being broken. I want to know and I want to know why he is keeping this from me, but I think I understand why. I decide to give him this, trusting that he'll tell me everything when the time is right.

"Ok," I say softly as he brings me into his embrace.

His nose goes to the top of my hair and he breathes me in. There is something desperate about this embrace, something very anxious. He is nervous about something, and I have a feeling that his conversation with Welch has intensified his worry for me.

"Christian…."

"Yes baby."

"Please don't worry yourself into an early death," I say as he chuckles.

"I'll try not you, but you're hard not to worry about…." He breathes as he his hands run up and down my back, "Is Hayden occupied?"

"I think, yeah…"

He moves from my embrace and lies down on the bed. "I need you…"

His neediness for me and the rawness in his eyes fills me with dread. Something is really wrong, something that might possibly change everything. I question if I even want to know what him and Welch spoke about.

"Please Ana…" he pleads. I throw off the uneasy feelings and crawl on top of him in hopes he can erase all of my bad thoughts, and in hopes that I can erase his.

**After our manicure and pedicures, Saturday morning brings a five star breakfast, courtesy of Gail, and facials. **Elliot and Genevieve are supposed to be at the apartment around lunch time and Hayden and I are taking it easy as we wait.

Christian laughs when he sees our face masks. "I was hoping to talk to my niece, but it looks like she has been replaced with a green faced alien."

Hayden giggles, "What do you need to talk to me about Uncle Christian?"

Christian takes his place in between us and grabs Hayden's hand. "Well, since your Aunt and I will be taking a little trip when your parents get here, I want to tell you this now."

"We are?" I ask in surprise. He didn't say anything about this earlier.

"Yes, Mrs. Grey, I have a surprise for you and I thought Gen, Hayden, and Elliot's talk would be a good time to reveal your surprise," he says to me and then turns back to Hayden, "I just want to re-iterate that your feelings that your parents don't love you because they had you at a young age is unfounded."

She sighs with exasperation because I know she is sick of hearing this speech.

"Don't huff at me Hayden," he says in an authoritative yet gentle tone. _He is going to be so good with our daughter._ "Knowing you Dad for as long as I have, I know that he was an idiot around the time you were born. He could barely take care of himself, so I doubt he could have been the father you needed him to be when you were born."

Hayden is watching Christian intently and it is evident that Christian cares so much for his niece. My raging hormones choose this moment to bloom inside of me. He is so sweet and I want him so much, and once we leave on whatever outing Christian has arranged, I am going to have him.

"But when he held you for the first time, and when he came back into your life, he changed."

"How?" Hayden asks softly.

"I mean, he is still an idiot, but you softened him. You showed him what it means to love and not be a selfish jerk. I really should be thanking you."

"Thanking me?" she asks with a bemused expression.

"I thought he would always be an irresponsible idiot, alone in his apartment and playing video games to pass the time…. but you and your mother made him better, gave him a purpose and a reason to wake up in the morning. I have not spoken with him, but I have no doubts that he is devastated that you believe any less than that…"

She smiles and sighs contently. After all of my talks with her, of course Christian would be the one to get through to her.

"Promise me you will listen and be open to what they have to say…"

She nods, "I will."

"Mr. and Mrs. Grey," Taylor says, "Your brother and sister have arrived."

Genevieve and Elliot enter the room, and the anxiety is evident on both of their faces. Christian holds my hand and walks me to the elevators.

"Gail should have lunch prepared," Christian says as I give my sister a quick hug, "I am taking this one away for a few hours so it should give you three plenty of time to talk."

I turn around and look at Hayden and I always forget how much she looks like Elliot. Genevieve and I used to pretend she was a chip off our block, but obviously she isn't as much as we would have hoped. I mouth _"Be Good"_ to her and she nods and rolls her eyes.

"Thank you guys," Gen says as she hugs Christian, "I'll call you when we are done."

Christian and I walk to the elevators as Genevieve and Elliot enter the great room. "Where are you taking me?" I whisper to Christian.

He smiles broadly, "Wouldn't you like to know…."

**AN2 – Reviews are ALWAYS appreciated! I am looking at you lurkers! Lol **


	10. Secrets: Part 2

**A/N1 – I don't own FSOG. Bust out the tissue box. I cried writing parts of this so you might cry while reading. Just thought I'd warn y'all. **

**Chapter 10 – Secrets Part: 2**

_**This is the worst part of my job**_**. **I fucking hate this part of my job. I have kids of my own. I have two little boys, and I hate that I have to deliver news like this to some poor innocent child. I am a cop so I know there is a possibility that they could get news like this one day. I knock at the door and take a deep breath.

I hear scurrying of feet, and I swear I can hear a little girl giggle. _Shit, I hate this._

The door opens and a young woman with blonde hair greets me. She must be in her late twenties, early thirties. Her grey eyes open in alarm and I know she is nervous to see a policeman at her door. I doubt she expected to see a cop on a typical Friday night.

"Officer, is there something wrong?" she asks, worry full on her round face.

"Honey, who is that?" A man asks as he steps behind her, "Is there a reason you're here officer?"

"Yes, I apologize for the lateness of the hour," I say, my throat dry, "But are you Jeff and Avery Erickson?"

They both nod. "And were you taking care of the Steele girls this weekend… Genevieve and Anastasia?"

They both nod again, "Is there something wrong officer?"

I sigh deeply, "Are the children awake?"

Jeff sees my cautiousness and motions for me to come inside. Avery walks down the hall and grabs a blonde little girl and a brunette little girl in her arms and they both giggle uncontrollably.

"Jordan… Gen… bedtime my little angels," Avery says as she walks them down the hall. I try not to look at who I assume is Genevieve, knowing what I know and what she'll soon find out.

"Taya… Ana…. Come on, finish up your water. It's time for bed," Avery calls again. Two other girls, one blonde and the other a brunette and much older than the first set, turn from the kitchen and walk obediently down the hallway.

"Why is there a police person here?" the little ones shrill as they are pulled by Avery down the hallway.

Jeff escorts me into another room and closes the door. I take a seat in what seems to be their study. "Something happened, didn't it?" Jeff asks nervously. He keeps rubbing his hands together and it looks like he must be getting the shakes.

"Do you know something?" I ask quietly just as Avery joins us.

Jeff stops talking as Avery closes the door and takes a seat. "Ok, officer, I am a little nervous," Avery says as she takes Jeff's hand, "I am imagining the worse… Is something wrong?"

I nod and take a deep breath. "Ray and Carla Steele were in an accident tonight."

Avery takes in a deep breath and places her head in her hands. "Are they ok?" Jeff asks in a terrified whisper.

"They're both dead." There is no way else to get around it. I have to call it like it is. "They hit a tree. Ray was thrust from the car and killed instantly. Carla somehow managed to get out of the car, but her injuries were far too severe and she lost a lot of blood."

I say the words quickly, wanting to get it out of my throat as fast as possible. This situation isn't easy and being given the responsibility of two young children while the state of Washington figures all this shit out is horrible.

"No," I hear a small cry outside the door, breaking me from my reverie. Two blue eyes come into view and I see tears pouring from the girl's face. The oldest brunette girl must have been listening all along.

"God damn it, Avery. Why didn't you close the damn door all the way?" Jeff huffs as the girl goes to Avery's side.

"Ana honey, you need to go to bed."

"Is it true?" she sobs deeply, "Are my parents….?"

"Ana, it's ok baby," Avery says as she holds on tight to the young girl, "Let's get you back to bed."

I don't know much about talking to kids, especially girls, but I feel inclined to say something to this girl, this girl who lost her parents so unexpectedly and at such a young age.

"Your name is Ana?"

She nods, her blue eyes filled with tears.

"Ok Ana. You have a little sister, right?" She nods again and Avery wipes a stray tear from her eyes. "What's your sister's name?"

"Genevieve," she says in a sing song voice. She seems like a sweet young lady, someone I would think about adopting myself if I didn't already have children of my own.

"Ok, Ana. This is your moment to become your little sister's protector, to take good care of her, and keep watch over her. This moment sucks. This moment is hard, but how you act in this moment will determine the rest of your life. Take care of her; take care of each other because in 10 or 15 years when you're a lady, you'll remember what you've lost and what you have and the deep bond you have with her. That's what your Mom and Dad will want for you. Do you understand what I am saying?"

She nods, her tears subsiding. This kid is eight, but she seems much older and wiser to me.

"I'm sorry this happened Ana… but I know your Mommy and Daddy loved you very much. Don't forget that."

She sniffles and looks up at me with tear filled blue eyes. "I won't."

**Ana – Present Time **

** "Why won't you tell me where you're taking me," I protest as he drives. **

"Goodness woman, can you just wait for a surprise like a normal person?" he sighs as we pull up to a gate.

"Where are we?" He looks over at me with a pleading look. "Fine Christian," I say, allowing him to surprise me, "I'm sorry."

"God," he says, rolling down the window, "What am I going to do with you?" He punches in a code and the gate opens slowly. Christian drives up the drive way and my cellphone goes off. _Katherine Vaughn _in big bold letters lights up my screen.

Kate has been married to Taylor Vaughn, quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks, for almost two years and she loves being an NFL wife. He spoils her to death and supposedly the sex is mind blowing. I have never seen Kate this ecstatically happy and I am thrilled for her, she deserves it.

"Excuse me baby, Mrs. Vaughn is calling me," I say overdramatically as he laughs, "Hello Mrs. Vaughn."

"Well hello, Mrs. Grey," she replies back in a pompous tone of voice.

"How are you and how was vaycay with Taylor?"

"Great," she says as Christian continues to drive. This path to the house is very long. When he pulls up to the mansion, I feel my eyes go wide.

"Great to hear," I say as I take in the expansive mansion in front of me.

"Call her back later," Christian whispers.

"Hey Kate," I say, honoring my husband's request, "I need to call you back."

"You better," she huffs, "You need to tell me about this damn accident you got in."

"I will… bye Kate."

Christian has the car stopped, and he is already at my door, ready to open it. "What is this?" I ask as he holds out his hand.

"Come with me," he says as we walk up the massive front porch. He pulls me through, and I see workers from Elliot's crew restoring the beautiful mansion.

"Is this what I think it is?" Christian isn't just building me a house; he is building me a fucking mansion.

"It is if you like it," he says nervously, "Knowing you… you'll want an opinion on everything so I am leaving a lot of this up to you, but I want to show you one thing."

"You bought me a house…" I say in disbelief as he leads me through our soon-to-be home.

"You've complained about it long enough, about time I actually followed through." We blow past the kitchen and the family room, and several other rooms. He finally stops me outside a room down the hall from the master bedroom.

He takes in a deep breath and I know he's nervous. "Open the door," he says anxiously.

I turn the door open and am taken back by what I see. In the middle is a crib, an old and beautifully crafted crib, sitting in the middle of an expansive room. A rocking chair is in the corner, a changing table sits in between, and a closet full of hangers is on the other side.

"Again, I know you'd want to decorate the nursery, being my artist and all. I just wanted to give you the basics," he says as he kisses my temple. He wraps his arms around me and sets them on my bump.

"Christian, thank you," I breathe. I turn around and pull his face to mine. "You're so sweet to do all of this."

He sighs, his face suddenly so sad. "It was the least I could do."

"Stop it," I tell him, stroking his cheeks, "It's over, you've repented, and I know you're sorry."

"I just feel… stupid… and ashamed. I can't believe I said that about my own daughter."

I sigh and kiss him softly. I knew he would get to this point. I knew he would regret his words as soon as he said them. I know the man I married and I know that once he got the idea of his daughter in his brain, he would protect her and cherish her like he protects an cherishes me. Once he figured all of this out, I know he would be crushed by his own words.

"Don't let me fail Ana," he says with his eyes watering, "Don't ever let me fail her."

I turn around and press his mouth to mine and I can feel his remorse in his kiss, _my sweet Fifty._ Kissing him isn't enough, I need more. I wrap my legs around his waist and he grabs my behind.

"Never," I say as he kisses me desperately and carries me down the hallway to our soon to be bedroom, "Never."

**Genevieve **

** Ana and Christian leave as Elliot and I approach Hayden. **She is wiping off the rest of her facial mask and she is smiling at us. She is actually smiling; Christian and my sister are obviously miracle workers. We sit down across from her and this feels awkward. Why does this feel so damn awkward? This is my daughter for Pete's sake, why am I so nervous? She actually seems happy, why does her happiness not fill me with ease?

We sit in silence for several minutes before finally Elliot butts in. "We've missed you Hayden…." He finally tells her, "I've missed you honey. I hate that you're mad at us."

She sits in silence with an unnamed emotion plastered across her face and I am not sure what's about to come out of her mouth. "Hayden, what's going on in your head angel?"

She sighs, "A lot… Too much, you don't want to hear it."

"Try us…" Elliot says softly. This is the issue, she is getting older and with Rocky and the new baby on her way, we rarely have this time anymore. She used to be the center of our world, and now she has turned into our hormonal after thought. We don't listen to her and we generally suck at communicating. This has to be fixed; I am determined to fix our communication.

"Well," she sighs, "Nana and Uncle Christian told me some stuff… that you guys were young and you were figuring a lot of things out."

"Trust me, we so desperately didn't want to screw you up," I tell her honestly, "I though that's what would end up happening, and then you'd hate me forever. I won't ever regret having you, you are the best thing that ever happened to me, but I maybe wish you had showed up at like twenty or twenty one."

I see it in her eyes that she gets it, and I know that must have been Ana and Christian's influence. "And Uncle Christian told me you were hopeless and you played video games all the time and acted like somebody my age…" Hayden says, turning to her Dad.

Hayden and I burst into laughter as Elliot comically shakes his head. "Oh he said that, did he?" I wrap my arm around Elliot's and kiss his bicep.

"You know it was true," I tell him.

He snorts, "Yeah, your Uncle was probably right. I needed some time before I truly understood what it meant to be your father. Nana stepped in for me till I was ready to really take care of you."

I feel my eyes get teary and Hayden smiles sweetly at the thought. "Nana is really good," she says, "She's going to be a good mommy to my cousin."

_Wow,_ I had no idea this conversation would take this sweet turn. I figured Hayden would yell and scream and never want to talk to us again. "Yes she is," I say, "She will be great. She had good practice with you."

She takes in a deep breath, and nods. "I was worried that… that you felt like you were stuck with me…. And Rocky and my sister were your second chance at being perfect parents."

I can't stand the separation anymore; I need to be close to her. Elliot obviously feels the same as we both move to sit at each side.

"Honestly Hayden," I begin, grabbing her beautiful face in my hands, "You were my saving grace. You were the one perfect little beautiful thing I had in this world and I don't think I have ever loved anything as much as I love you. I was determined to spend the rest of my life with just you and me against the world… and Nana joining us when she wanted."

I look over at Elliot, his eyes staring intently at the both of us. "I never expected to fall in love with your Dad. I actually hated him and I wanted him to rot in hell forever."

Hayden giggles and Elliot smiles through watery eyes. "And then I fell in love with him because he was so good with you and he loved me so much, and we wanted two more little pieces of perfection because we loved our first piece of perfection so much."

"Really?" Hayden asks, her own eyes watering.

"Really kid," Elliot says as he kisses her temple, "We love you, get used to it."

She nods, "Ok, ok. I get it."

"Good," he sighs, releasing the tension he's been holding in since she left the house.

"Lunch is served," I hear Christian and Ana's housekeeper say softly from the table. I didn't even know she was here.

"Thanks Gail," Elliot says as we get up from the couch. I wrap my daughter in my arms and kiss her several more times.

"I've missed you sweet girl."

"I've had the best time here. Nana and I have had so much fun…"

Elliot snorts, "Has my poor older brother been sleeping in the guest room?"

"Yep," Hayden says happily. I am curious about how Christian and Ana are doing now. They seemed back to normal when we arrived, and I hope they've talked through his issues about the baby. He almost lost them both. I have a feeling that changed his attitude quite a bit.

"While we eat, we do need to discuss something," I tell my family, "You are getting older and there is a definite age gap between you, your brother, and your new sister, so we need to talk about privileges and what we'll allow you to do and such."

Hayden perks up, "What do you mean?"

"Well," I begin, "You need to help around the house, which is what you got in a fight with your father about the day before you decided to take the trip to Ana's."

She nods, looking over at her father with an embarrassed expression. "Listen, I know why you are fighting this. I don't want you to think you have to always take care of your brother and sister just because you're the oldest. We'll need help, and you're such a good helper, but I also want you to have your childhood and be able to hang out with your friends." We will have to have another conversation about friend selection, but since she is so cheerful and responsive we may need to save that for a later date.

"If we come up with a schedule that we can all agree on," Elliot jumps in, "And you abide by the schedule without complaint…. We will consider getting you an IPhone."

She has a phone for whenever she has sleepovers and spends time with friends, but it is as basic and plain Jane as they come. As a joke, Elliot tried to throw it on the wall to see if it would break and it didn't.

"An Iphone? Like all of my friends have…"

"You need to earn it Hayden," Elliot tells her, "I am not just going to buy you things because we have money and we can. I didn't get my contracting business because I asked for the money. I worked for it."

"I just want you to know that we get that you're growing up, and we are both going to try much harder to not treat you like you're a baby," I tell her, "We just need to communicate better with each other and not run off to Aunt Ana's every time there's a problem."

I look over at Elliot and I see his brows furrow and his nose wrinkle. It's going to take a lot to convince him that his little girl isn't a baby anymore. Hayden nods happily and I can already tell she's feeling better about coming home. I am so thankful this conversation went well and she understands how deeply we love her.

"And one last thing…. In the next couple of years, we will have plenty of awkward conversations about sex. You will not make the same mistakes we made."

Elliot's eyes go wide and I can't help my smile. "Or she can just wait to have sex till she's thirty." Geez, I'm not even thirty.

"You know what baby," I say in a mocking tone, "When she turns fifteen –we can ship her off to the convent." Elliot rolls his eyes at me.

"Or," Hayden interjects, "You can send me to an all-girls school…. "

I howl with laughter as Elliot just shakes his head. "I am so glad you're not mad at me anymore baby girl, I've missed my partner in crime in torturing your father."

_**I have run through these woods for what seems like hours**_**. **I don't know where I am, and my heart feels like it is pounding so deeply inside my chest, ready to explode at any minute. The mist from the rainy evening clings to every part of my body and I am trying my hardest to breath. I just need to breathe for a second.

I need to go home. I need to find my girls. I look around through the darkness and I realize I am not being chased anymore. They've chased me for hours. Who are these people? What the hell was my husband involved in? Why the fuck did they kill him? _Oh Ray, what did you do?_

I take a seat and try to think this through. So much has happened, and right now I need to think about finding safety and finding safety for my girls. My poor sweet babies are still sitting at Jeff and Avery's, possibly worried about me.

I look over at my shoulder and I realize I am bleeding. That fucker shot me in the arm as I was running away. Thank god it wasn't my leg; I would be dead by now. Tears begin to fall down my face as I remember my husband, struck and dead on the side of the road. I need to keep moving, if I think too deeply about him, it will be the death of me. I will be sucked into a black whole of depression, unable to escape. I suck in my tears and stand back up. I have to keep moving, I need to find shelter. I need to find the authorities and my daughters. I need to find my way back home.

I hear what might be footsteps and I keep moving. I'll be no good to anyone if I am dead. I need to keep moving. I need to find shelter and safety. I need to protect my girls.

**A/N2 – Next chapter, we will move up in time. Probably about 5 months lol … I am anxious for these two to become parents! Reviews are always appreciated! **


	11. At the wrong time

**A/N – I don't own FSOG! I decided to jump five months ahead. Someone will be making their appearance very soon…. (I'm talking about the baby… lol)**

**Chapter 11 – At the wrong time **

**Christian – Five Months Later**

** I type quickly at my computer and stare over at Ana asleep in the living room. **She keeps moving on the couch as she tries to find a comfortable position to nap in. Ana is a week away from her due date, and she is beyond uncomfortable and miserable. She hasn't been able to sleep, I help her dress most mornings, and she has been grouchy and irritable. My wife isn't always the biggest ray of sunshine, a personality trait we share, but she has been especially agitated now that she is so far along in her pregnancy.

I have decided to work from home these past several weeks. I go in when they absolutely need me, but I hate leaving her here home alone. We've been in our brand new mansion for almost two months, and I know the big vacant house is lonely and boring for her during the day while I am gone. If she had it her way, she would still be working herself.

Even though she is home alone and bored, we both love the new house. We have more space, and it feels like us. Ana has been able to decorate, and place her artistic touch on the walls and the bedrooms. I didn't realize how warm and inviting our home would be compared to the "Luxury Penthouse Apartment" that I am used to. I am definitely glad we aren't raising our daughter in a bachelor pad like that. This home is where you raise a family.

I have been in this chair far too long and I need to stretch my legs. I walk down the hall and decided exactly where I want to go. I slowly open the door to the baby's room and take in my surroundings. The closer we get to the baby's birth, the more anxious I am to meet my daughter. I don't know why I was ever frightened of this moment, I'm ready.

The baby's room is finished and there is no doubt that Josephine Grace Grey will have the best of everything, I am her father after all. Ana is not much for pink; she got too much of that when Hayden was little, so she bathed our daughter's room in color. Bright girly colors swirl and twirl in Jo's room with her name stretched across the longest wall in light green. I take a seat in the rocking chair and allow myself a peaceful moment.

"I think this is my favorite room in the house," I hear Ana's voice at the door. I look up and see her leaning up against the door frame, smiling at me.

"I don't know why I am so drawn to it…"

"After all those years living in an ivory tower," she jokes, "Maybe going to a room filled with color speaks to you."

I snort, "Probably."

"It's Jo," she says softly as she moves closer to me, "She isn't even here yet and she is light in the middle of darkness. That's why I wanted this room to be so colorful."

I nod as she tries to gently take a seat on my lap. "Baby, you aren't that heavy," I laugh at her cautiousness.

She sighs, "I'm a freaking bus."

I laugh, "You aren't. You're so beautiful."

"Geez, you sure are sentimental today… sure you aren't getting your period Grey?"

I look deep into her eyes and kiss her roughly. "How about I throw you down on our bed and show you how sentimental I can be…"

She practically attacks my mouth again for several hot seconds before we are interrupted.

"Ummm I am sorry to interrupt," Gail says, very flustered, "But your staff is here Mrs. Grey."

"My staff?"

She nods; face red from the hot make out session she just walked in on. "Yes ma'am, it's a surprise. A surprise baby shower."

_Shit, I forgot about this. _Giselle called me a week ago and asked if it would be ok and told me not to tell Ana. I gave her permission, but she wasn't allowed to invite Xavier, the male model who has done nothing but hit on my wife since she returned to work.

Suddenly, I see Taylor behind Gail, frantically looking for me. "Sir, Xavier from the proscribed list as snuck into the house with the rest of Mrs. Grey's staff. Matthews checked them in."

"You put Xavier on the proscribed list."

"The man wants in your panties, Anastasia," I admonish her.

"I am as big as a house," she says, gesturing to her stomach, "I doubt he'll want me like this."

I scoff at the insinuation. "Send him away Taylor. And fire Matthews while you are at it."

"No," she says adamantly, "Xavier is an intern now. If my staff is throwing me a baby shower, you shouldn't kick him out."

"I am not going to let a man who constantly mind fucks you to be let into my home," I demand.

"He is a good worker and I stay away from him, it's called working with difficult people, Grey," she snaps back. God, I love when she argues with me. I would want nothing more than take her back to our bedroom and fuck her senseless for fighting with me.

"How is that going to look to my staff that my husband is making decisions for me…."

She has a point. "Fine, but Taylor will watch him. If he gets too close to you, he will escort him out."

She rolls her eyes, "Fine."

"Roll your eyes again and see what happens," I say salaciously as she grins. I look up and realize that Gail and Taylor are still watching us. I can't help but smile as Ana blushes. "You heard me Taylor, if that fucker comes anywhere near her, he will be escorted from the property."

She rolls her eyes as I kiss her gently on the cheek and then bite her gently on the neck. "You'll never change."

"Mr. Grey," I hear as Ryan joins our gathering, "Mr. Welch has arrived and he would like to speak with you..."

**Ana **

** I love the people** **I work with. **Since nothing fucking fits me anymore, they allowed me to come and enjoy my party in sweats. This shower itself is not a typical baby shower. They threw me one several months back so this is a shower of things I can use once the baby is born. I have received several bottles of wine, new pairs of jeans, and several other inappropriate items.

"Listen," Giselle says as she pulls out a bottle of lube, "Before you freak out, I hear that things downstairs don't stay as saturated after the baby is born. This is more for Christian than it is for you…"

All of us cackle as I gladly take the lube from her. "Thank you Giselle."

"Oooo, me next," Serena says as she and Katarina move over a big box.

"What is this?" I ask as they begin opening it for me.

"A lot of what you've already received, except this time," Katarina says wryly, "I got you post baby lingerie."

"Jesus," I say, open- mouthed as she flings the black lacy contraption in the air, "This is so inappropriate…. which is why I love you weirdoes so much."

The room cackles with laughter as everyone disperses for cake. Giselle turns to me and smiles. "So you know how you were saying you feel like a bus and disgusting and yada yada yada."

"Yes… where are you going with this?"

"Well," G says as she nods toward Xavier who is busily talking, "He has not stopped looking at you with his sex eyes. When he saw the lingerie fly out, he had to adjust his pants."

"What are you talking about?"

"Xavier wants you to take a ride on the Xavier train…. "

"No, he does not," I scoff at her words.

"On his desktop at work, it's filled with a collage of pictures…. There is one of you in there."

"Xavier isn't obsessed with me," I scoff again; "You're crazy."

"Ana," I hear Xavier say from across the room as he moves over to my chair, "I believe pregnancy has heightened how beautiful you are…."

Very suddenly, Taylor steps in his way and turns him around. Giselle and I both can't help but laugh. In the middle of our laughter, I feel a quick pain shoot through me and I try to breathe through it.

"Are you ok?" Giselle asks; her eyes wide.

"I've just felt like crap all day and I think I am getting Braxton hicks contractions or whatever…."

She nods, "Tell me if we need to take you to the hospital during this little shindig, I would be more than happy to."

I shake my head, "I'm sure I'll be fine…."

**Christian **

** As I look through the documents and papers that Welch has handed to me, I am in disbelief. **I have been given updates from him for the past five months about the progress in locating Ana's mother, and figuring out who attacked Ana. Going from dead end to dead end over all these months, I am really glad I decided to keep this information from Anastasia. It would have been very unnecessary for her to be filled with so much disappointment over something that could have been easily avoided. In this instance, I believe me keeping the truth from her has actually paid off.

Today is different. Today, Welch has found my sure thing. "I can't believe I found her…" Welch says to himself, "After all the dead ends and wrong turns, I can't believe we actually found her."

"Where has she been?" I ask as I take a look at her new driver's license.

As I focus on the picture, Juliette Lynn Parker of Tempe Arizona stares back at me. She is blonde in her driver's license photo and her eyes are a bright green which Welch told me was due to green colored contacts. Even with all of this change to her appearance, I see my wife in this photo. I see a little bit of Genevieve, but certainly my wife and her mother could pass for twins. There is no denying it, this is Ana's mom.

"She has moved around over the years, but most recently she lived in Tempe Arizona. She got married a man by the name of Jonas Parker; he is a real estate agent. They're still married, I believe."

"Ana has a Step-Father," I snort, "So why the new identity? Why hasn't she contacted Ana?"

"This has all been a part of the witness protection program," he answers, "Turns out the Federal Bureau of Investigation has done a bang up job of figuring out who killed Ray Steele, and she has been in hiding because they still haven't pieced together who murdered him. She's been under their protection."

"They're still investigating this?"

He shakes his head, "Not for a while. They've just recently picked this up, like me. After Ana's suspicious accident, Juliette has insisted they continue to investigate. It seems that Ana's Mom and I both believe that their accidents are connected."

"Have you been able to figure out the link?" I ask as he shakes his head, "Do you know for certain they are connected?"

"I have a few conspiracy theories, but nothing solid yet," he says nervously, "I'm working on it… You know me; I'll drop a lead if I don't think it is right. With your daughter on the way, we need to keep your family safe."

I nod, "I trust you to know when to drop something, but don't let this go for too long. Especially with the baby coming…" I look through the pictures and documents and run my hands through my hair. "Where is she now…?"

He laughs, "You mean, where is your mother-in-law?"

A tense knock comes at my door before Welch can answer. "Come in," I growl.

Giselle, Ana's second in command stands at the door nervously. "It's Ana…. Her water broke. We think she's going into labor."

_Now? What the hell, I thought we had another week. _

Welch smirks at my astonished expression, "I'll be sure to send cigars to the hospital."

**Christian **

** "Mother fucking, fucker of all hell," Ana screams as the contractions push through her. **

"We are almost there, Mrs. Grey," Taylor says as he drives quickly to the hospital.

"Baby, breathe like you've practiced," I tell her as she begins the systematic breathing.

"I'd rather just curse, this kid fucking hurts," she groans.

Taylor pulls up to the front of the hospital and there is already a wheel chair waiting for us. Taylor and I help her up and over to the waiting wheel chair.

"Does my sister know?" Ana asks as I wheel her to her room.

"I'll call her immediately," I tell her.

"Tell fucking Elliot to stay with Ireland," she says, referring to my new niece, "I need my sister." Almost exactly a month ago at this hospital, Genevieve gave birth to Ireland Scarlett Grey and Gen is still at home recovering from the birth.

As we get Ana settled into her room, my mother bursts through the door.

"There is nothing like hearing that your oldest child's baby is on her way," Grace says happily, "How are you feeling dear?"

Ana sighs and tries to muster a smile, "Alright…"

"Sir," I hear Taylor say from the door, "Genevieve Grey is on the phone."

"Tell her I need her here, not on the phone," Ana gripes. I lean down and kiss her forehead.

"I will baby, don't worry." Several nurses come in as I walk out into the hallway and grab the phone.

"Elliot is at work," Genevieve says tearfully when I come on the line, "I can't leave… I need to be there…"

"Gen, its ok," I tell her, "You just had Ireland, Ana will understand."

"No," she sobs, "I need to be there for her… she was there for me, I need to be there for her…"

How many more upset and hysterical women will I have to deal with today? "I'll call Elliot… he'll come home from work, and you can be here for Ana."

Still sobbing, she thanks me. We hang up and Taylor finds me seconds later, his eyes wide. "Mr. Grey…" Taylor is pale and his eyes are wide.

"What is it Taylor… you look like you just saw a ghost."

"Come with me," he says as he turns to walk away. I follow him down the hall. He moves and maneuvers through several different parts of the hospital until he leads me to a door down an abandoned hallway.

"Someone came to see Ana…" Taylor says softly.

"Did they pass your security checks?" I ask.

Taylor nods, "In a way…"

I immediately open the door and stop when I see who is sitting at a small circular table. Her green eyes shoot to mine and Taylor follows me in and shuts the door behind us.

"What are you doing here?" I finally ask after several minutes.

"It's a big day for Ana…" she says softly, "I wanted to be here for my daughter..."

**A/N2- Reviews are always appreciated. They let me know if I am doing something right or wrong so please let me know your opinions. **


	12. Aunty Nana Mom

**A/N – I borrowed some from Freed and there is a line from an episode of Friends in this… lol. I don't own FSOG or Friends lol. **

**Chapter 12 – Aunty Nana Mom**

**Christian**

** "What?"**

"It is not what you think Christian…"

"What?" I hear myself yell, "What do you think you're going to do… just walk into the delivery room and say hi?" The thought alone is ludicrous.

"Of course not," she sighs, "This didn't go how I expected and I didn't want to make you mad. The birth of Gen's three went a lot differently."

I feel my jaw drop to the floor and my eyebrows perk up. What the hell is she talking about?

She nods and sighs, "When Gen gave birth to Hayden, I knew I had to be there. My sixteen year old daughter was giving birth to her first child, I felt awful that I wasn't in her life and helping her with this. I needed to be at least in the hospital while it was happening. I have a friend who works for this hospital and they helped me out. I was able to be around. I walked by the delivery room, I stood outside the door, I saw Hayden get moved to the nursery. I was as present as I could be…"

This revelation is shocking, and I don't know how to respond. She continues, "My friend in this hospital informed me that Genevieve would be giving birth to Rocky so I flew from where I was living at the time and did the exact same thing. And since Ana's accident, I found out about Gen's recent and I was there for that too. Now with Ana's, this has obviously turned out much differently. I needed to get around your security and you know how that turned out…"

I haven't told Taylor or the rest of my security team about how Mrs. Steele is very much alive and kicking so Welch must have sent her picture to Taylor. Welch does this whenever a suspicious person crosses his path. I look over at Taylor and his face is pale. He has figured this entire situation out for himself, and is as shocked and confused as I am.

"I have a system. I have somewhat of a disguise and I am usually in scrubs," she snickers to herself, "You have a much tighter set of protection over Anastasia then your asshat brother has over Genevieve."

I raise my eyes at her unexpected hostility. "You don't even know my brother."

She snorts, "He got my daughter pregnant at sixteen. Just because he ended up marrying her doesn't mean he's earned the right for me to stop hating him."

I guess she has a valid reason to not like him, but I feel the startling urge to defend him. She has been alive all this time, and has only stood in the background of her daughter's lives. She has done nothing while they've suffered.

I don't have any more time to dwell on this because my phone begins buzzing angrily in my pocket. When I see that it is Elliot calling me, I show Juliette and she rolls her eyes. I put him on speaker phone and his concerned tone fills the room.

"What's going on?" Elliot asks, "Ana's in labor?"

"Yes and Gen asked me to call you so that she could be here and so you could stay with the kids."

"Alright," he says as I hear the rustling of papers, "I'm on my way out and I'll call Gen to tell her I am on my way home so she can head up there…. Hey man, you're going to be a Dad…"

"I know…" I say to myself. I can't help the smile that spreads across my face.

"I'll bring up the cigars later," Elliot says, "See ya later bro."

We hang up, and I know what I have to do. This is supposed to be the best day of mine and Anastasia's lives. This isn't supposed to be a "Days of our Lives" drama filled shit fest. I don't care how pure her intentions were; she isn't supposed to be here so she won't be here.

"Leave Juliette," I tell her as I head for the door, "To my wife and my sister-in-law, you are dead. And that is how you will stay."

"Christian," she says sadly, "Please re-consider."

"It's Mr. Grey to you….. I need to take care of my wife. Considering who my wife is, I thought you'd appreciate that," I say, lingering at the door, "Leave a contact number with Taylor. If you ever need money or anything else, you can have it. I will never leave my mother in law destitute, but if you come around my wife or my child, you will be removed."

I hear nothing else come from Juliette Parker's mouth as I exit the room and return to my wife.

"**There you are," Mom says as I enter the room, "We've been wondering where you've run off to."**

"Christian," Ana cries as she holds out a hand for me, "Where have you been?"

"Small business problems that I needed to attend to, I'm sorry for leaving baby," I say as I lightly kiss Ana on the forehead, "I am done with work, and everything will go to Ros now. I am not leaving your side."

Ana sighs contently, but I can tell she is slightly agitated that I had to deal with work at all. If only she knew about the crap I was really dealing with.

"Where's Gen," she demands, practically in tears, "I need my sister."

"I just got a hold of Elliot and he is on his way to replace her at home, she'll be here shortly," I say as I kiss her knuckles several times.

Grace smiles sadly and grabs Ana's other hand. "I hope Ireland and Josephine can be as close as you are to Genevieve…"

Ana nods as tears flow down her cheeks, "I hope they aren't that close."

"Well why is that?" Grace asks.

Tears flow harder as she bites out her words, "Not to say Gen and I wouldn't have gotten close to each other under normal circumstances, it's just that we are so close because we lost our parents so young."

She tries to hold back a sob as Grace squeezes her hand sadly. "I don't want them to be without parents like Gen and I were…" she says as her tears fall harder, "I wouldn't wish that upon anyone." I lean over and kiss her tears away as she cries.

I am suddenly very glad I sent Juliette away. If I allowed her to stay and hover, she still wouldn't really understand the damage she has caused. She left two sweet and innocent girls by themselves against a cruel, hard world. I don't know the extent of how she has stayed in their lives or what she has tried to do to help them. There is even the possibility that it could be dangerous for Gen and Ana to even know of her existence, Welch and I need to discuss this further. All I know is that my wife is without her mother on the day when she'll become a mother herself, and it's causing her immense pain. No one causes my wife pain and is allowed to live their lives as normal.

**Thirty minutes later, Genevieve shows up and we both stay at Ana's side as she fights through her contractions. **

"Ireland is excited to meet Josephine," Gen says to lighten the mood.

"She's a one month old baby, how does she even know," Ana asks with a snicker.

"Because… I just know," Gen says with a gleam in her eye, "Ireland might be the calmest baby I have ever had. She doesn't cry, well she doesn't cry a lot, and she is happy all the time."

"That's sure a change, Hayden was the exact opposite."

"Blah, don't remind me," Gen huffs, "Hayden was the most irritable child. The kid never stopped crying."

"Hey," a recognizable voice from the door. Hayden steps into the room with a scowl on her face. "That's just mean."

"What are you doing here?" Gen asks in surprise, "I thought you were at Jenny Connor's house."

"Daddy called me and told me that Aunty Nana was going into labor so I very kindly asked Jenny Connor's mom to bring me to the hospital so I could be here."

"Honey," Ana says as she reaches for Hayden's hand, "You really don't want to be in the room for the birth of your niece."

Hayden's face falls, "Says who… I have to be here for this. I feel like it's my sister being born and not my cousin. I know that one over there is my mom, but… you're my mom too. You're like my Aunty Nana Mom."

We all laugh as Ana reaches up to Hayden for a hug. "I love you munchkin," she says as they hug.

"I love you too Nana."

"But you really can't be here for when she is actually born… it just has to be me and Uncle Christian and your Mom," she tells her, "But I doubt you'd want to be in the room anyway, it gets gross."

Hayden snorts, "Of course I know not to be here for that. What am I, crazy?"

**The hours go by quickly and before we know it, we are in the early hours of the morning. **We were admitted around three o' clock in the afternoon and now it is around midnight. Nine hours my sweet uncomfortable wife has been dealing with contraction after contraction.

"I am only at eight fucking centimeters," Ana cries and quickly looks to see if Hayden is sound asleep, "How can I only be eight centimeters dilated?"

"Mrs. Grey, this happens. Sometimes it takes a short amount of time, for other women it takes longer," the nurse reassures her as Ana hangs her head in defeat.

"I just want to go home," she tells me, grabbing my hand.

"I know honey," I tell her as I kiss her on her forehead, "But I really would like to bring Jo home with us."

"She's never coming out," Ana declares, obviously delirious from lack of sleep, "She is going to be hell on heels, I just know it."

I laugh as I kiss her knuckles. I kiss every part of her hand as her breathing begins to slow. She takes in a long deep breath and more crying begins.

"Honey, what is it?"

"I am so happy they are here," she whispers and points to a sleeping Genevieve and Hayden, "I just…"

"You just what?" I ask, trying to stay patient. She is so tired, and seems to be at the end of her rope.

She whimpers and sobs once more. I move and grab her more ice chips and a cold towel. I spread it across her forehead as she tries to breathe slowly.

"This may sound crazy," she says softly, "I just wish I had a Mom to be here with me." My heart stops as she continues to talk. "My mother was so great," she tells me, "I loved her so much. And I still remember so much about her. She was so pretty, and had the prettiest blue eyes."

"One look at you and no one would deny that," I say as she smiles.

"She was sweet, and loving…. And I remember when I was six and I had the flu, she sat with me and never left my side. Sometimes when I get bitchy and irritable, I just try to think about her and the kind of woman she was and I try to remember that I need to be more like that…"

I kiss her now cold forehead and she breathes in deeply. "I hope every day that I don't ever have to leave our daughter, I hope that something never happens to me so that becomes a reality. I don't want her looking back and remembering who I used to be."

"You won't," I say as I gaze deep into her eyes, "I promise." She nods contently and closes her eyes. "I need to find my mom for a second, I'll be right back," I whisper as she hums a yes.

I walk into the hallway and quickly pull out my phone.

"Mr. Grey," Welch says as he picks up. I really hope I am not keeping the poor bastard from sleeping or fucking his own wife.

"I know it's late, but I need you to make a call."

"Yes sir," he says as I pace across the hallway.

"Call Parker and tell her she has a five minute window at the hospital. Ana is close, so she should make her way now. She comes in and then leaves, you've got it?"

"Yes sir."

I hang up the phone and re-join my wife. It may be the lateness of the hour, but I for some reason know I am making the right choice in allowing this to happen. It's then I realize that Carla Steele may have more to say on this situation then what meets the eye, and I fully intend on letting her say her peace.

**Ana **

** Four o'clock rolls around and my doctor has given me the best news I have heard all day. **"Ok, Mrs. Grey," the doctor says after he finishes his examination, "You are at ten centimeters and so we are ready to deliver this baby."

"Thank fucking God," I practically scream as Genevieve shakes her head.

"Hayden is in the room," she informs me. Hayden just giggles and smiles fondly at me. The twelve year old gets it. I like the twelve year old because her mother has been a pain in the ass.

"Well it is time for Hayden to leave the room," the doctor says as a few nurses enter, "Mr. Grey and Genevieve are our two who will stay during the birth."

I nod as Hayden leans over for one last kiss, "Can't wait to meet Miss Josephine."

"I can't wait for you to meet her either," I say back as she turns to leave.

Christian stands by my side and Genevieve moves to my right. The nurses move around and quickly prepare.

"Alright Mrs. Grey, time to push," the doctor says as I push with all my strength. Christian has willingly offered his hand for me to squeeze, and it feels like I am close to breaking it. I turn to look at him and he seems physically fine. His emotional state is another story.

"Mrs. Grey, I need you to give me a couple more really strong pushes," my doctor pleads. I push once, I push twice, and I push a third time. "Mrs. Grey, one last big push and you have a daughter."

All of the strength in me feels shot. I can't do this anymore; I just want to go home. "I can't…"

"Yes you can," Christian says as he kisses my hand.

"No… No…"

"I can see the top of her head Mrs. Grey," the doctor tells me, "You need to push."

"Come on Ana, you can do it. It feels like you can't but I know you can," Gen tells me.

"Come on baby, push…" Christian says as I give it my all for one last time.

A piercing angry cry fills the room and I feel the breath leave my lungs. "Would you like to cut the umbilical cord Dad?" the nurse asks Christian.

"Of course," I hear Christian say, "Oh honey, she's so beautiful." That is when I get a view of my daughter, my little, tiny perfect baby girl and her brown patch of hair on the top of her beautiful head.

"I wanna hold her," I tell them.

"Just a second Ana," Gen says, "They need to clean her up." She continues to cry as they get her ready for me.

"Be careful with her…" I tell them as Christian waits to take her, "She's really little…"

Gen giggles as they place her into Christian's arms. She isn't crying any more, and seems to be content in Daddy's arms. I can swear I see a tear in his eye as he brings her to me.

"Here's our daughter, Mrs. Grey." He leans over to kiss me as he hands her to me.

"As soon as I can," Genevieve whispers to her, "I'll bring your best friend Ireland to play… you two will love each other." We both giggle as Jo's Aunt Gen leaves her a tiny peck on her forehead. "…I'll go check on Hayden," Gen says as she sneaks out.

"I… love her," Christian says as if he's in awe.

"I do too…" I say softly as I move Jo back to him. She's asleep now, so clueless to the world around her. "Thank you Ana," he says softly, his voice filled with emotion, "Just… thank you…"

**Hayden **

** I lean my head against the door, seeing if I can hear anything. **Mostly I hear Nana cursing and various people talking to my Aunt and telling her to push. "Oh!" I hear Grandma behind me; "Is the baby coming?"

I nod happily as I turn to her, "Mom and Uncle Christian are with her right now."

"Are you excited for your Aunt, sweet girl?" Grandma asks as she grabs my hand.

"I am," I tell her, "I really am Grandma."

Her phone beeps and she shakes her head. She reaches to see who is calling her and huffs unhappily. "I am getting called so I cannot be here right now. Have your Uncle call me when I am able to see the baby."

"I will," I tell her as I resume my listening. As Grandma walks away, Aunt Ana continues to groan and scream obscenities to anyone who will hear her.

"What are you doing?" I hear another voice behind me. I whip around and find a nurse from the hospital standing in front of me, watching me skeptically.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," I tell the nurse, "My Aunt is giving birth and I was kicked out of the room because I think only two people are allowed in there.."

She smiles brightly, her green eyes twinkling as she joins me. "And you're young; you shouldn't have to see that yet. That's fine. I didn't mean to make you nervous. May I listen with you? I don't get around the baby wing much and there is something calming about babies being brought into this world."

"Sure," I say as she joins me, "I love your pink scrubs."

She snickers, "Well thank you, my husband tells me all the time that since I am a blonde, I always should wear pink."

"That's what my mom tells me. Since I am blonde like my dad, she always tries to put me in pink."

"Well I have to agree with your mother," she says softly, "Are you excited for your new cousin?"

I nod my head and smile, "My Aunt doesn't have any children and I think I am excited more for her and my Uncle than anything."

I usually don't tell complete strangers this much, but this lady seems warm and welcoming. She is so friendly; I can't help but smile when I talk to her. She presses her ear up against the door with me and we wait for the unmistakable sound of a new born baby. We look ridiculous, standing against the door with our ears pressed to it. We both giggle, and I know we are both laughing at the same thing.

In mid giggle, I hear it, the cry of my newborn niece and the subsequent tears of my Uncle, mother, and Aunt.

"Would you like to cut the umbilical chord, Dad?" I hear from the inside.

"Of course…" Uncle Christian says, "Oh honey, she's so beautiful."

I begin crying myself when I hear a sob come from my Uncle. He rarely gets this emotional so it is quite a shock to hear. I turn to my new nurse friend and she is crying with me.

"What is it about a baby that makes everyone cry…?" I ask as she laughs.

"I don't know," she says as she turns and walks away, wiping away her own tears, "Thank you for letting me stand with you, I need to get back to work."

"Ok…." I say as she walks off, "Nice to meet you."

**A/N – Thanks for reading! I do not own FSOG! Reviews are always appreciated!**


	13. Sleep Deprived Suspicions

***** A/N1 – I don't own FSOG, but you already knew that…. **

**Chapter 13 – Sleep Deprived Suspicions **

**Ana **

** As I try to wrap up at work, I realize it is ridiculously late.** It must be midnight by now. I am quite shocked that Christian hasn't busted down the gallery, and forced me to come home with him. He probably won't like that I skipped out on the baby, and came in and worked even though I am still on maternity leave. I love my daughter, but the kid is driving me nuts. Why do we have Gail when I feel bad about using her?

"Hi," I hear a voice from the door of my office. Xavier Smith, the guy has been working for me for months and I just now learned his last name, is standing at my door. Blonde hair messy, blue eyes shining, smile wide.

"Hi," I say as I throw some papers in my bag, "You're working late."

"The life of an intern," he says as he takes a seat across from my desk, "What are you doing here? I thought you were on maternity leave."

"I am. Jo is at home with my housekeeper and at this hour… probably her father too."

He nods as he picks up a picture of her, "She's beautiful. Just like her mother."

_ Damn it_, he says shit like that to me all the time, and I never do anything about it. I need to say something, it's very inappropriate.

"Xavier, you can't say stuff like that to me."

"Why not," he says, eyes glowing, "It's true."

"Xavier, I'm married and your boss," I tell him, much more forcefully this time, "You might think your words are innocent…."

"They are not innocent Ana," he says, cutting me off, "I want you."

"Xavier, you're fired," I tell him immediately. He walks around the desk and leans in closer to me.

"Your husband is at home, not making sure his wife is being properly cared for," he says as he places his mouth on mine, "If you were mine, I'd never let you out of my sight."

"You don't know what you are saying."

"He wouldn't have to know," he says in a whisper as his teeth graze my ear lobe, "He's a powerful man, he's probably seeing someone on the side too. I want to be your side fuck."

He pulls me to him and our lips meet for a second time. My hands go immediately to his hair as he holds me tight against his firm body. My tongue bursts through, forcing my way into his mouth. Our tongues dance and twirl together as he lifts me up. My legs circle his waist as we continue to kiss passionately. His hands move to my back and he begins to lift my shirt.

I suddenly feel frustration fall over me as I pull back. "What?" he asks, breathless.

"Three more weeks…" I tell him, "Because of the baby, I can't have sex for three more weeks." I cannot believe those words just exited my mouth. I am about to have sex with a man who isn't my husband, and all I care about is the six weeks rule.

Xavier smiles and takes a knee. He fumbles with my zipper and begins to slide it down. "I have ways around that," he says with a sexy smirk as he pulls down my jeans and pushes my panties aside.

**I am sitting up, trying to control my breathing, and panting like a maniac. **I feel sweat rolling down my face like a waterfall and I groan when I see the alarm clock. Two AM flashes at me, reminding me of my lack of sleep. My beautiful psychotic newborn will be up again in two hours, screaming to be fed, no sleep for mommy tonight. Christian bursts through the room, baby monitor in hand.

"Are you ok?" he asks, "I could hear you down the hall. You sound like me when I have a bad dream…."

"It was just a bad dream," I say as I take a good look at my husband. He is still wearing the clothes he had on at dinner. I put down Josephine for the night, and then he told me that he'd join me shortly for bed. I fell asleep, and he obviously never showed.

"What?" he asks, acting innocent and stupid.

"Where have you been…? I thought you were coming to bed," I ask as he places the baby monitor at our bed side.

"I had some work to finish up," he says as he takes off his boots. _Why the hell is he wearing boots? _I pull one of his boots up to my face and I see the mud on his shoes. He is not only making a mess on our carpet, but it has been raining in Seattle all day, he could have been anywhere.

"Work to finish up?" I ask as I purposely drop the boot on his shoeless foot, "Last I checked you worked in an office and not with your brother."

"Ana…."

"Don't Ana me, where the fuck were you Christian?" I ask, my voice getting loud and shaky.

He sighs with exasperation and I know it's because he's been dealing with my fucking emotions for three weeks. "Honey, don't cry."

"Don't fucking honey me, Christian," I snap, "Where have you been?"

"Ana, you need to go back to bed," he says as he tries to urge me to lie back down, "You need your sleep."

I lay back down at his request, as I realize how tired I trolley am. I am beyond tired, I am drained. I feel a sob form at the back of my throat and I know I won't be able to stop it. I begin sobbing heavily into my pillow, trying to reign in the awful feeling in the back of my stomach. I had a sex dream about my douchebag intern, and now my husband is sneaking out on me and he won't tell me where he has been. At the risk of sounding overdramatic, we're falling the fuck apart.

"Ana," he breathes, his voice desperate, "Tell me what's wrong. I can't bear it when you cry like this."

"How was she Christian?" I sob as I hold my pillow to my chest, "She can obviously fulfill your needs since she didn't just give birth to your child."

"Ana, I am not cheating on you."

"Then why won't you tell me where the fuck you were?" I scream at him. I try to hit him with my pillow, but he grabs it out of my hands and tries to force his arms around me. "Stop it," I growl at him.

He gives up and runs his hands through his hair in defeat. "You need to sleep Anastasia," he pleads with me, "She'll be up again in two hours."

"So you aren't even going to answer my question," I bark at him, "You're just going to pretend like you didn't leave in the middle of the night."

He sighs, "I am not cheating on you. I would never do that to you, no matter how long I have to wait to make love to you." He isn't even answering my question; I am so aggravated I can't even see straight.

One look at Christian, and I become instantly tried. He is tired, I am tired, and we both need to sleep. I am still as pissed as hell so I decide to move to the opposite end of the bed. I hear him change his clothes for bed once I am down on my side. Once he is dressed, he tries to move beside me on the bed. I purposely push him out, and I hear his deep sigh of aggravation.

After seconds of laying in silence, Christian speaks. "So …. What was your dream about? It sounded bad."

I pretend to be asleep so I don't have to give him an honest answer

**As Gail prepares breakfast, I hold Josephine and try to memorize how good it feels when she is quiet and content. **She is fed, diapered, and finally content in my arms after a morning long battle. This is a rare moment in our three week long relationship, so I decide to treasure it for as long as she'll let me.

"Remember Mrs. Grey," Gail tells me, "Your sister will be here with Ireland and Hayden this afternoon." She sets my breakfast on the table and smiles affectionately at my daughter. "…First play date already?"

"Yep," I say as Gail takes Jo from my arms so I can eat, "I don't want her around Rocky yet. That boy lives in germs… but Hayden wants to see her, and Gen and I are both stir crazy."

"Where is young Mr. Grey going to do while his Mommy and sisters spend time with Aunt Ana and Cousin Josephine," Gail says sweetly as she talks to Josephine and me at the same time.

"He'll be with Elliot…" I say as Christian enters the room. I am still pretty pissed off that he still won't tell me where he was last night. He didn't even tell me he was leaving, he just fucking left me.

"Good morning ladies," Christian says as he makes a be-line for Josephine.

**Christian**

** Gail offers up Josephine to me gladly.** I am learning the art of properly holding a newborn, and I think I have it down for the most part. Josephine's tiny head fits nicely into the crook of my arm, and she and I have finally worked out a system for when I hold her that we can both agree on. In the beginning, things were not this easy, and I am thankful for our evolution. Her tiny eyes blink up at me, and I see her mother 100% in her delicate features.

I look over at my wife, and the original owner of my daughter's baby blue eyes, and I know she is still fuming from last night. I was hoping I could slip out last night without being detected, but of course Ana is up at all hours of the night. That was stupid of me to think Ana couldn't figure this out. I have no idea how I would even begin to explain this to her.

With Josephine in my arms, I carefully lean over to kiss Ana. It feels good to have both of them near me, even though one is unbelievably angry with me right now. Ana moves her head from my lips in a childish attempt to stay angry with me. _You're just going to have to trust me Ana, please._

"Ana," I say patiently, "Please kiss me."

"No," she pouts. I can't help but snicker. She grows angrier as I try to kiss her again.

"Baby, kiss me."

She pouts again and I quickly move my lips to kiss her sexy pout. God damn, I need her. Even kissing her when she wants to kill me is so fucking hot. My current goals in my life: be much faster at changing Josephine's diapers, get my wife to stop hating me, and make it through the next three weeks of "no sex" with my wife. I've been able to wait through the first three so hopefully I can wait for this next three. I have so many plans for our first time when I can have her again. I am thinking we should start in the bathtub with candles… her slowly sliding up and down on my dick.

"Christian?" Ana asks, breaking me from my erotic thoughts.

"I have to go to work," I say as I lean over to leave a kiss on Jo's forehead, "I'll miss you both." She takes Josephine from me, and I grab my brief case. I need to tell her that I'll be late again, but I know it will just make the problems between us much worse.

"Bye Christian," she says civilly.

"Bye baby," I say as I kiss her on her forehead, "I'll be home at seven tonight."

"Seven?" she asks, her mouth open, "What the hell?"

"A meeting," I say quickly, "I can't miss it. I love you."

I walk down the stairs and out to the driveway. Taylor is waiting for me, and I turn back for one last look at my family. Ana is still standing at the door with Jo in her arms. It kills me when I see her wipe what I assume is tears from her eyes. _She is going to be livid, but you need to tell her Grey, you need to tell her before this gets much worse. _

**Genevieve **

** Hayden skips up the path to her Aunt's front door, leaving me to carry Ireland and all of her supplies by myself. **A housekeeper, who I have never met, joins me outside and helps by loosening my load. I am thankful for the intrusiveness. I forgot how much you travel with when you have a newborn.

Ana is busily typing on her laptop when I enter. I see several other women, all wearing aprons, spread throughout Ana and Christian's home.

"Who are all these people?" I ask as I set Ireland's carrier on the couch.

"Nannies," she says as she closes the laptop, "We'll need them later."

"Why…." I ask suspiciously.

"Because you and I are going to follow my husband." What the fuck is she talking about? Why would we need to follow Christian?

"We are?" I ask, unable to hide my amusement, "Why are we following him?"

She gulps and takes in a deep breath, "Because I am pretty sure he is cheating on me."

**A/N – I am hoping to have this one back up and running with consistent updates now that Phoebe's Babies is finished. Thanks for all the support and please review! I am like Tinkerbelle, I need reviews to live! Lol**


	14. Stakeout

**A/N – One last update before the week hits. Probably won't have another update of this one till the weekend. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Review. I am like Tinkerbelle (I've used this before but I think it works), I need review to live! Lol **

**I don't own FSOG! I am just using it for my own twisted amusement. **

**Chapter 14 – Stakeout **

**Ana**

** With the help of the two extra nannies I hired for the evening, we are all able to put Ireland and Josephine down for the night.** Our girls really do look cute together, bundled in their matching onesies. At this point in their development, they are practically twins. I do see a spec of blonde in Ireland's hair and copper in Josephine's. I roll my eyes at the thought and kiss my daughter goodnight.

When I walk back into the family room, I am surprised to see Elliot with Rocky.

"You told me that you could keep Rocky for the night," she pleads with Elliot as Rocky holds on to her leg.

"I'm sorry baby," Elliot says as he leans down for a kiss, "Something came up."

"Elliot, I'll be taking care of all three of our kids and you won't tell me where you are even going?" Gen rightly bitches at him.

He points to Gail and the other two nannies. "Looks like you're set to me."

She smacks him on the arm, "That's not the point."

"I wouldn't leave him here with you if you didn't have enough help, but you do so I have to go," he says as he quickly kisses her on the temple, "I should be back later."

He turns around and walks out the front door. Rocky's little eyes glimmer with tears, and I know he must have been excited for a guy's night with Dad. _Stupid fucking Elliot._

"You want to come to Nana?" I ask Rocky with my arms stretched. He nods sadly as I pick him up. He is five, but he is still small enough that I can carry him comfortably.

"Something is up," Gen says as she turns to me, "He was all for taking care of Rocky yesterday. Even this morning, he was cool with it. Something changed."

"I want to play with Daddy…" Rocky whines.

"Mommy is going to kick Daddy's butt for this buddy, I promise," Gen tells him as he giggles.

"Gen don't tell him stuff like that," I admonish her as I set him back down; "Hayden is upstairs. Stay quiet if you want to play, your sister and your cousin will wake."

He nods adamantly and runs upstairs. "Do you think Elliot's and Christian's actions are linked?" Gen asks once he is out of the room.

"Quite possibly," I say, "But Christian has had meetings every night this week. What about Elliot."

Gen nods, "This is the first weird thing he has done…. despite the usual."

I decide not to let Elliot's actions throw us off from our plans. Even though Elliot is pulling the "I don't want to tell my wife anything" shit, it seems too much of a stretch to assume that Christian and Elliot's bullshit is related.

"So we leave in thirty minutes?" I ask my sister.

She nods, seeming to be suddenly terrified at what we might find.

**Since Genevieve's requirement for everything is cute clothing, we take this opportunity to put together an official stakeout ensemble.** The idea was good at first, but is quickly tainted by the fact that my old jeans still don't fit the way I want them too. After a third pair won't fit, I throw a Christian Aguilera sized fit.

"Geez Ana, they're just jeans," she comments as my fit continues.

"Shut the fuck up," I snap at her as I throw the offending jeans across the room. Gen's eyebrows rise at my outburst and she stands at the side until she knows it is safe for her to proceed. After a moment, she moves closer to me.

"Ana," Gen says softly as she sits at the end of the bed. She sounds like she is dealing with a wounded animal. "He isn't cheating on you. He loves you." I try to calm my breathing as she works an arm around me. "If you want to give up on this stakeout and just watch movies tonight, we can. I doubt we'll find anything."

"How do you know?" I ask softly.

"Know whether or not we'll find something." I nod and he sighs. "Because that man loves you…"

"Why do you keep saying that?"

"Why do I keep pointing out the truth?" she counters, "Because he loves you and Josephine and he would be devastated if he lost either of you."

"I just want to know what's going on and he won't talk to me," I finally admit. I really don't want to get into this tonight. "He does this from time to time, turns into a vault and it scares me shitless when he does that."

She nods, "I get that. Obviously you've never used sex as a means to get information out of your husband."

I snort, "You do that with Elliot?"

"All the damn time," she says as we both laugh.

**I leave baby girl one last kiss as she sleeps and head out the door with Genevieve. **The nannies and Gail are taking care of all four kids so I don't feel as bad about leaving them, they are more than covered this evening.

Our biggest issue is the security detail. Reynolds and Matthews are staying with the kids and Gail while Mumford is assigned to Gen and I. I don't want this new guy coming with us, and destroying our stakeout. We convinced him to take a separate car, and we've made it very clear to him that we are going to the movies. I know he doesn't believe us but agrees to take a separate car anyway. Genevieve is at the wheel and she has made big plans to lose him.

Our plan is awful. We've decided that after we lose Mumford, we will follow Christian's car from work. I know we are going to get caught; Christian's security is excellent and will recognize that they are being followed. Genevieve bribed one of her "play group" friends to let us borrow her car, but I just know something is going to go wrong.

After twenty minutes and several turns later, we lose Mumford completely. We take a few more turns and easily find the SUVs as they are leaving Grey House.

"Alright, let's see if I remember how to do this," Genevieve says to herself as we begin following the SUVs.

"You've done this before…" I ask

"Didn't you just see me back there?" she asks as I laugh, "How do you think I knew that Elliot was seeing Kate all those years ago?"

I laugh, "I thought you said you found receipts."

She shakes her head, "I followed the bastard."

Genevieve does seem to know what she is doing. We swerve and zig zag throughout the city, hopefully this makes us seem inconspicuous. As we exit the city, we stay several cars behind the SUVs. When we could possibly be spotted, I duck down, hoping not to be seen by any sets of eyes.

"This isn't going to work," I tell Gen, "That security team is too good."

"He isn't making any effort to speed up or avert us, I don't think he suspects anything," Gen says as we continue through forests and wooded areas.

"Geez, I feel like we drove too far and ended up in the middle of the movie Twilight," Gen jokes as we continue to go further away from the city.

"Seriously, where are we?" I ask as I take a look at my surroundings. Houses are becoming scarce and the trees seem to be multiplying.

After thirty more minutes of driving, I see the SUV's swerve away.

"Follow them Gen."

"I can't," she protests, "Alma's car isn't made for off-roading."

"Where the hell are we?" I ask as we continue to get more and more lost.

"Let's just turn back around," Gen says, maneuvering the car with ease. We start our descent back down, and I feel so discouraged that we weren't able to find anything.

Genevieve takes a turn that I don't recognize, and that's when I see it. A wooden, three story, mansion surrounded by trees.

"I would not want to live here," Gen scoffs, "Serial killers."

We both laugh as a police officer stops us. When Gen rolls down her window, the cop shines a flashlight inside. "License and registration please, ladies."

Genevieve turns to me in a panic. "We are actually borrowing this car from a friend. It's in her name," I tell him, not sure what Gen is expecting me to do.

"Fine," he says, ticked at the situation, "I just need to see both of your licenses." When we both hand them over, Gen turns to me and makes a face. We both know this isn't normal. He steps away and Gen takes a deep breath.

"I really don't want to get arrested tonight," she tells me.

"Me neither Gen," I say as the cop immediately returns.

"Alright ladies, you need to get off the premises immediately. If you don't, we will have to take you to the police station and file felony charges." Felony charges, for accidently driving past a private residence with no signs anywhere to be seen.

"Geez," Gen scoffs, "Alright…"

"So leave, now," the cop says as Gen rolls up the window. She takes a long look as the house and I suddenly see the light bulb flip on in her brain. She begins to drive off, but she seems to be looking for something very specific.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"I have a weird feeling about that damn house," Gen says as she shifts the car. She suddenly begins driving into the woods, going the opposite direction.

"I thought this car didn't off road."

"So did I," Gen says as she parks the car. She parked it to where the house is still in clear view.

"We're going to get our asses kicked for this," I tell her, "Christian is going to have to bail us out of jail."

"This was your idea," Genevieve says, "Don't hate on me for actually wanting to do it right."

I take in a deep sigh as we wait. The mansion we are spying on is actually very beautiful. It looks very chic and modern, mine and Christian's mansion definitely doesn't have the same modern décor.

"What are we looking for?" I ask, "Nothing is going on."

"I think the same thing can be said for your relationship with Christian … you are looking for things that aren't there."

"God, could you stop with that," I complain.

"We are sitting out in the middle of nowhere, trying to catch Christian doing something that you and I both know he isn't doing…" Gen's voice trails off as a new car enters the driveway.

We both watch closely as we see the car pull up and two people get out.

"Oh my god," Genevieve breathes, "That's Elliot…. And Grace." I see Elliot escort Grace out of the car and they both walk into the house together.

"Fuck it," I tell her as I get out of the car, "I am going down there."

"The cop told us to get the hell away," Gen reminds me. Surely she is still in shock, she isn't thinking straight.

"I don't give a fuck, my husband and your husband are both down there, we can go down there too," I say as I get out of the car.

"That hill is steep," she says, "And we are in designer boots. I am not going."

I snicker nervously as I decide to take the plunge. "Fine, I'll go. Just be careful out here."

I step out of the car, take two wrong steps, and immediately miss my footing and fall down the long hill that leads to the driveway. When I make a loud thump at the end, I look up to see Sawyer smiling down at me.

Sawyer has recovered from the accident for the most part; his voice is still shaky at times. He is slowly acclimating to being a part of the security team again. He mostly follows Taylor around until he is ready to work on his own again.

"What are you doing here?" he asks with horrified amusement, "And where the hell is Mumford?"

"Gen lost him," I say as he helps me up.

"Genevieve is here too?" he asks surprised, "I cannot believe you two actually got away from Mumford and followed us here without being noticed."

"You didn't notice us?" I ask. I am surprisingly pleased that he didn't notice us.

"I saw something, but Taylor didn't think it was much of a threat," he snickers, amused with the observation. He gets a call on his radio and sighs. "I have to tell them that you are here."

I nod, "Go for it."

He sighs, "T this is Luke. We have trespassers by the name of Anastasia and Genevieve Grey."

"What?" Taylor asks, annoyance and shock rolled into his tone.

"We have not located Genevieve but Anastasia is standing with me right now."

Silence comes on the other end, and after several minutes, Taylor is back. "Bring her into the house."

"Will do," Luke tells him.

"What is going on in there?"

"All I know is that Dr. Trevelyan and Elliot had to accompany Mr. Grey," he says as he motions me to follow him, "I don't know why all three of them had to meet at an FBI Safe house."

"A what?" I ask as he leads me inside.

He nods and whispers, "Where is Genevieve."

"At the top of the hill I just fell down." He nods and walks off. I walk inside the house by myself and find Taylor standing in the foyer.

"I know that green car was suspicious," he says to himself as he leads me through the ostentatious mansion.

"Why the hell are we at an FBI safe house?"

Taylor doesn't answer my question but pulls open massive doors to lead me into a living room. Seated in the living room are Christian, Elliot, Grace, and another woman. All are looking at me nervously and Christian moves to stand at my side.

"This not how I imagined we'd do this," he says as I continue to stare at the woman.

"Are you having an affair with my husband?" I ask her point blank. Her eyes fill with shock, and she shakes her head adamantly.

"No honey, I'm not," she says firmly as Grace turns to Christian.

"Just tell her," Grace says to him.

"Tell me what…." I ask, still staring at the woman. She kind of looks like Elena Lincoln if you squint in a certain way, and that leaves me with even more unease.

"What happened to your knees?" Elliot asks suddenly, "You look like you fell down a mountain."

"That's partly true," I answer.

"_Mommy, I fell off my bike, "I cry for my Mom, "Do we have any band aids?"_

"_Of course sweetie. Geez, those look rough. Did you fall down a mountain, Anastasia?"_

I look back at the woman, still sitting across the room, and I feel my jaw hit the floor. No, this can't be. I barely squeak out my next word.

"….Mom?"


	15. The Fallout

**A/N – I got inspiration and I realized I am leaving town this weekend so I thought I'd get out an update while I could. Thank you so much for all the sweet comments …. I don't ever thank you guys enough for all the encouragement that you give me. Please continue to send them; they really help me write more. I don't own FSOG! Also – since I am posting this on Valentine's Day – I'd just thought I'd let out an extra apology…. You'll see why**

**Chapter 15 – The Fallout**

**Christian **

** I blink and focus my eyes on the ceiling fan turning slowly in front of me. **I haven't slept a fucking wink. Last night was my worst case scenario played out in front of me like a movie. She knows this isn't simple for me, she should understand that I needed advice before I moved forward. Her mother was dead and wanting a passage back into her life, I couldn't just let that happen without making sure this was all completely safe for her. This fucked up situation doesn't just affect us, this affects Josephine too. This situation is new ground for me, she must know that. She must know that I have tried everything in my power to do what is right for her. Trying to explain all of this to my beautiful yet post-baby hormonal wife is a different story.

I have been in this situation before, kicked from my castle to the dungeon. She's pissed and she has sent me to the guest bedroom across the house. I can't be with her or my daughter. I doubt she'll even talk to me, even want to touch me. God damn, I want to touch her. These six weeks of waiting is killing me, there isn't just tension between us – there is sexual tension to. I need to feel all of her, I need to kiss her everywhere, and I desperately need to be inside of her.

I throw my pillow across the room in frustration and try to calm the fuck down. Of course, I am as hard as a rock and I can't even have my favorite resource to relieve it. I get up to grab a pillow when I hear a knock on my door. I pray to God that it's Ana.

"Mr. Grey," Sawyer whispers through the door.

"Come in," I grumble.

Sawyer opens the door and steps in. I place the pillow on my crotch quickly; Sawyer doesn't need to see me like this.

"Mr. Grey, we have a problem," Sawyer says as enters the room.

"What?" I snap, "What else could go wrong in a 24 hour time period? You still aren't off the fucking hook for Ana and Genevieve following us last night."

Sawyer just shakes his head at me. "Mr. Grey…. She's gone."

**Ana – The Night Before **

**"…Mom?"**

She looks up at me nervously, and rings out her hands, my tell-tale sign of nervousness. _Shit_, this is my mother.

"How?" is all I can force out of my throat. "I thought you were…"

The room stays silent as I try desperately to put all of this information together. Why is she here? The police reports said she was dead, I saw them myself. We had a funeral, a closed casket funeral, but we still had one. I thought she was dead, I though the officers told us she had died.

"It's a really long story honey, something I want to tell you sometime," she says, eyes still intently on me.

I look around the room, staring at the ceiling, the walls, the wood paneling. I can't look at anybody in here. I'll lose my shit if I do. So many thoughts in my brain are trying to quickly process. My mom is alive, the Greys are here, and my little sister is outside.

"You look so beautiful," she says to me as I try my hardest to focus in on her, _she does look just like me._ "I am so proud of you Anastasia. Raising your sister, going to a good college, marrying a sweet man who loves you, and bringing the most beautiful little girl into the world, you've come so far."

It all comes crashing down on me as her words permeate through my brain. I shake my head, tears flying from my eyes, "Don't. Fucking don't."

"Ana…" Christian says as he moves to my side.

"This isn't real," I murmur, "What is happening isn't supposed to be happening. My mother died when I was eight."

She takes in a sharp breath and I continue. "I need to go. Gen is outside, and she doesn't need to be in here for this."

"This is her mother too," Elliot has the audacity to tell me. I feel myself pull out the look of death from my facial inventory.

"What the hell are you even doing here?" I practically scream at my brother-in-law, "Why is it that Grace and Elliot are here, and I had to sneak into this damn house to find out about all of this?"

I turn to Christian and his jaw is on the floor, unable to speak. This is too much for me right now. I want to turn around, go home to my baby, and pretend this nightmare never happened. I begin walking and I feel Christian following after me. It takes me a minute for me to realize that I am outside and halfway to my car. Once I am outside, I feel my knees hit the pavement, and I feel Genevieve's arms around me.

I sob into her chest, feeling warmed and welcomed by her presence. I can't even figure out why I am crying so deeply. I come to the quick realization that I am done. I have never felt so far removed from my life, or so far from reality. I am done.

**When I pry my eyes open, I compute that we are still driving. **I remember few things about the last hour. I remember being unable to stop crying. I am pretty sure I beat the shit out of Christian when he tried to hold and comfort me. Genevieve escorted me into Taylor's waiting SUV and I cried for some time into Gen's shoulder. I must have fallen asleep in Genevieve's lap and I have been sleeping on top of her since.

I slowly sit up, and Gen's kind eyes smile back at me. _Holy hell,_ I am going to have to tell her about Mom, she doesn't know a damn thing.

"Hey there sunshine," she says sweetly, "You ok?"

Christian is in the passenger seat and he turns to face me. I feel burning rage form in my stomach and I cannot look at him. I turn away and watch the world pass us by. I realize we must be five minutes from home, and I have never felt more relieved to find my bed.

When we pull up to the driveway, I immediately head inside. My mouth is dry from the evening's events so I immediately head for the kitchen and search for a glass.

Gail enters seconds later, followed by her two helpers. "Josephine hasn't stirred all evening," Gail begins.

"So I should probably expect her to be awake soon," I say to myself as I continue to look for a glass.

"We got Gen's three down pretty easy, Ireland has been fussy but eventually fell asleep," Gail continues as Gen heads upstairs.

"Thank you Gail," Genevieve calls down as she leaves Christian and me in the kitchen.

Gail continues to talk as Christian and I stare at each other, unsure grey against angry, emotional, and potentially violent blue. I don't know what to say to him, I know he must have some sort of justification for his actions. I am having the hardest fucking time getting my head around all of this. How long has he known? Why did he call Grace and Elliot over to that house? How does he know all of this information and I am still clueless? Someone must have told him that my mother was still alive, who told him? How does someone get this kind of information?

The light blinks on in my head. "Oh my god…"

"Good night Nana," Hayden says as she sleepily walks through the living room, "Goodnight Uncle Christian."

"Goodnight Hayden," I say, practically gritting my teeth. This was the secret he was keeping. The secret that fucking Welch told him. He swore that he would tell me and he kept it a secret from me? Why?

"Alright guys, goodnight," Genevieve says as she walks with a sleeping Rocky over her arm. One of the nannies follows behind with Ireland in her carrier. "Ana, call me in the morning," she says with a nod. There is a hidden meaning behind that request; she wants more of an explanation. If the roles were reversed, I know tonight would have seemed weird. I don't even know how to handle that situation.

"Alright," I murmur, my voice still so weak, "Goodnight Gen."

Once Genevieve is gone, Gail excuses herself for the evening. I am left with Christian, and I have no idea where to begin. He radiates anxiety and I know he isn't sure how to act either. We remain quiet for several more minutes before I decide to break the silence.

"This was the information," I croak out, "That Welch had that you didn't want to tell me about… was it?"

He nods, "Yes."

_ Holy hell. _"When was it confirmed?" I ask, my voice still shaky. Tears are threatening to fill my eyes.

"Ana, that is not what's important."

"Like fuck it isn't important," I practically scream, "How long have you known."

He takes in a deep breath and rubs his eyes. "Since the baby was born."

I can't be in here right now. I can't deal with him. The baby starts to cry and I close my eyes for a minute of peace. With all of the energy I can muster, I turn on my feet and go tend to my daughter. Christian follows me as I prepare to feed my daughter. Christian takes a seat and his eyes are glued to me.

Once she is in my arms, the baby calms down and begins to drink. We all sit in silence, and I can feel his eyes bore into me. I'd prefer not to talk. I'd rather sit in silence than talk about this anymore.

"It hasn't been a good time Ana," he finally says, "I needed to make sure this was legit and that it's safe. There is nothing more important to me than yours and Josephine's safety."

I continue to sit, and let him talk.

"Why was Elliot there?" I ask calmly. My calm demeanor is even making me nervous. "Why was Grace there? How did they know about this before me?" The anger is rising, but I have to calm myself. Josephine deserves calm.

"I needed advice… I didn't know how to handle this. And this involves Genevieve too so I thought Elliot should know what was going on."

_ Shit, Gen. _I decide in this moment that I don't want her to know. I don't want my sister around that woman. I practically raised Genevieve so I feel that I can make this decision without it being doubted, my mother and especially my husband have no jurisdiction here.

I continue to sit in silence as he stares at me intently. "For the love of God Ana," he says after a few more moments of silence, "Can you please say something…. Anything?"

"What do you want me to say?" I ask him, my tone radiating tension.

In this moment, I realize just how tired I am. If I hadn't just had a baby, I'd probably would be throwing pillows and screaming to the top of my lungs. Now, I am spent, so tired of dealing with his "I need to protect you in all things even though you are a competent thirty year old" bull crap.

"I don't know," he finally says, "I never meant for this to go this far. I just didn't know what to do – situations like this don't come across my door step every day. I was looking for the right time."

"You are always looking for the right time," I murmur to myself, "There is always some bullshit reason to lock me up in this house and treat me like a fucking five year old."

"Ana…."

"I do not want to be anywhere near you," I hiss at him, "Get your shit and go sleep in the guestroom."

"For how long?" he asks. The fact that he seems to already know that I would throw him out of our bedroom just infuriates me more.

"When I feel like I can breathe again…."

I don't know why those particular words choose to exit my mouth, but they do and they seem to have hit my husband. He nods and turns on his heels, moving out of the room.

I lay back and hold my quiet newborn while she drinks. I try to enjoy this moment of peace, but I can't. I don't even feel like me anymore, I feel like the skeleton of myself. I can't live a month without my husband hiding some sort of bullshit secret from me. My own mother can't stay fucking dead, and I feel like a walking milk machine. Everywhere I look, someone is looking to drain the very life out of me. I just do not know if I can do this anymore…

**Christian **

** I practically sprint downstairs, trying to stay calm. **Fuck calm, where is my wife?

"Taylor," I bark as I enter the security office in my home, "Do you have any tape of her disappearance? Which fucker was standing guard last night?"

"Matthews was sir," Taylor says as I turn to the bastard who let my wife walk out of my home.

"You're fired, get the fuck out of my house," I snap as he turns obediently to leave.

I turn my attention back to the search for Ana. Taylor is looking through the footage, trying to find her disappearance on the tape. "She was in the kitchen at about three o' clock this morning," Taylor says as he continues to look, "It seems that she brought the pump to the nursery and then brought back the bottles to the refrigerator."

"What time is it now?" I ask.

"Six AM," Taylor repeats as I see Gail enter the room from the corner of my eye.

"There are several bottles in the refrigerator," Gail reports.

"Why does that matter?" I snap.

Taylor and Gail look at each for a second and she finally sighs deeply. "Because Mr. Grey," she tells me, "It seems that she has prepared to be gone for a while…"

"No," I say, adamantly shaking my head, "No, that's not an option."

Taylor turns back to the tapes, "After she made the bottles, she placed them in the refrigerator, went to back to your bedroom, pulled out suitcases, and packed quickly."

"Suitcases?" I ask, confused by the plural use of the word.

"She carried two out of the house."

"She'll come back," I hear spew out of my mouth before he can finish talking, "No…. no…. she's not gone."

"We've tried tracking her car sir," Sawyer tells me from my left side, "But she took the newest Audi, I was supposed to get the tracker on it tomorrow. And she didn't take her phone."

"It could be a coincidence," I say, rubbing my eyes, "She isn't gone…. She isn't gone…. She isn't gone. She isn't, she isn't…"

"Mr. Grey, how about I make you breakfast," Gail says softly next to me, her smile shining, "I'll make your favorite, pancakes."

"That's Ana's favorite," I say hoarsely, embarrassed by how weak I sound. She's not leaving me, I won't let her. I continue to rub my eyes, trying to wake the fuck up, trying to stop the anxiety that is threatening to bubble over.

I suddenly realize that Gail must have brought the baby monitor inside the security office as I quickly hear my baby daughter's piercing wail fill the room. After a few moments, Jo continues to cry harshly as I finally find my bearing to stand up and find her.

"The Little Princess is up," Gail finally mutters with a hint of sadness in her tone, "I'll go attend to her."

"No," I say with a jump, "I've got her."

I trudge through my house, and enter my daughter's room seconds later. Her crying is loud and harsh when I finally pull her from her crib. I don't know how, but when I begin to hold her, she automatically gets louder.

I rock her and try my best to soothe her, but I don't know how to do this. Ana knows how to do this. I haven't held her when she is crying this angrily, I have only put her to bed a couple times, and I realize very quickly that I don't know how to take care of her when she is this upset. If I didn't know any better, even the look on her face would be a tale-tell sign that I am not the person she wants right now.

"Mr. Grey," Gail says as she enters, "I can take her."

"No," I bark, "I have this." Gail stands at the door, unsure of how to handle the pair of us.

"I know baby," I tell her as her crying becomes a little less intense, "I want her here too…."


	16. In Sickness and In Health

**A/N – I am quite fond of this chapter, so obviously I am a little nervous for you guys to read it. Lol. This chapter was able to happen because of three things – 1) A hefty amount of sleep, 2) YOUR reviews, and 3) The Beyonce HBO special (don't ask me why). So thank you for your reviews, because they really do help more than you realize. And please leave me more and let me know how I did! **

**I don't own FSOG!**

**Chapter 16 – In sickness and in health **

**Christian – 2 Years Earlier **

** "Dude, quit being such a little bitch," Elliot says with a condescending smirk. **I hate him, I hate surfing, I hate that Ana and I decided to go on vacation with him and Genevieve. Well, I like Gen. I could do without a weekend with my brother.

I scream again as the pain surges through my arm. "I'd like to see how you feel after you dislocate your arm and breaking your fucking ankle you condescending piece of shit," I scream back at him.

"Alright Elliot, don't rile him up," my sweet angel wife says as she sits at my side, "The doctor should be here any second. I'd hate for you to be in any more pain, we all know that you can't handle excessive amounts very well."

I look up at my wife in shock as she smiles down at me with a knowing smile. "I cannot believe you just said that," I whisper as she grazes my ear with her teeth, "I have a bum arm and now a bum ankle, what are you trying to do to me?"

"Hopefully dirty, dirty things…" she whispers back. Despite the pain of my multiple injuries, I feel myself harden.

"Are you the doctor?" Ana asks suddenly as Elliot escorts a tall, older gentleman with a full beard into the room.

"Yes I am," the man says as he takes a look at me, "My name is Dr. Welch."

"Dr. Welch?" I ask as he smirks.

"My grandson is your head of security," he chuckles to himself, "Mrs. Grey called for an emergency doctor so Mikey immediately called me since I live in the area."

I feel Elliot accidently nudge my ankle and the pain shoots through my leg like lightning. "FUCK," I scream, "Careful dipshit."

"We're really glad you're here," Ana says as Dr. Welch chuckles. Ana, Gen, and Elliot all stand back as Welch begins to examine me. I thought I was in excellent athletic shape, until I decided to learn how to surf.

This weekend was supposed to be the perfect weekend. I bought Anastasia a beach house and the one next to it for our anniversary. We decided to try them out for the weekend and invite Elliot and Genevieve with us. Well, Ana decided to invite Elliot and Genevieve to come with us.

It has been a pretty decent getaway thus far. I have spent plenty of time with my wife and her perfect body. I have spent a lovely amount of time with Genevieve, my sister-in-law times two, and way too much damn time with my younger brother. I had a lot more planned for the rest of this weekend, most of it spent with Ana either in a bikini or naked.

"Ok, Mr. Grey, it seems to be just a sprain, but we'll have to take you into town to get it looked at."

"A sprain?" I scream, "How can a fucking sprain hurt this much?"

"Oh, it's a long story, Mr. Grey. And I know that your arm has been put back into place, I still want to look at it while we are at the hospital."

I groan as Ana smiles sadly at me. "Just fucking perfect."

**After several hours with the doctor, and one spaghetti dinner cooked by my wife, I am finally in bed. **She dressed me first, considering I can't really move. I was hoping something could come out of her taking my pants off, but apparently she wasn't in the mood.

I sit up on my good elbow and watch my wife as she prepares for bed. She slips off her sundress, revealing her pink silk bra and matching thong. She struts around our room, ignoring me on purpose. As I watch her, she bends down to pick up her dress so she can hang it up. Her thong is teasing me, mocking me for my lack of a left arm and a right ankle.

"I know what you're doing," I tell her as she snickers.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, my sweet limbless husband."

"How long are you going to make fun of me for this?" I ask her as she begins to climb up on the bed.

"Oh baby," she purrs, "This is the first time in our relationship that you are weak and vulnerable…. I wouldn't say that I am making fun of you…. More like enjoying the opportunities it provides."

She moves up my boxers and leaves a feather light kiss on my left thigh. "Oh fuck," I hiss as I feel her grin on my skin.

"You're so responsive," she murmurs to herself. I can't help but laugh when I realize she's mimicking me.

"Baby… I've been vulnerable and weak in our relationship before," I say, hoping this doesn't upset her – it's just the truth. "Only you could make me that way…. Only you have that power over me."

She takes in a deep breath as she continues to kiss me up my thigh. "Me…. And surfing?"

I snort, "I'm never doing that again. No matter how much Elliot eggs me on."

"That is fantastic to hear," she says as she sprawls across me. "I'm never doing that again…" she repeats my words.

"What do you mean?" I ask almost immediately.

"I promise to never make you weak or vulnerable again. I promise to take care of you forever… my sweet limbless husband."

I snicker as she leans over to kiss me. "I love you."

"I love you too. Thank you for the perfect weekend."

I sigh contently as I hold my wife with my working arm. "Anything for you baby."

**Christian – Present time **

** I have decided to focus this morning on Josephine. **I have an entire fleet searching for my wife, and I need to take care of our daughter. I can't leave this job solely on Gail. Ana wouldn't leave the responsibility of caring for our daughter on Gail, and I am not going to do that either.

It would be easy to become anxious, to scream and shout and pace and panic. There is a real danger with Ana being out in the world without security. She isn't in the right state of mind, and no matter what the FBI tries to tell me; there is still a threat to her security. My daughter can sense my panic. My baby girl can sense my unease. I am allowing her calming presence to keep me calm. It is a test of my will to stay at ease for my daughter's sake.

"Mr. Grey," Gail whispers at my ear, "I can hold her if you need me too…"

"I'm fine…" I tell her. _Is my anxiety that obvious?_

Gail sighs deeply, "Well, I thought you'd notice, but she seems to be searching for an available breast. Considering you don't harness those capabilities, I thought I'd take her to get a bottle."

I look down at my little nugget and notice that is exactly what she is doing. How did I not notice this? I give her a small kiss on her forehead and hand her off to Gail. Taylor immediately surges through the living room.

"We found her," he says as he hands me the phone.

I grab the phone. "Ana?"

"No," Kate's voice replies back, "But she's here with me. Is everything ok with the baby?"

I look over at Josephine, confirming to myself that she is ok before I answer. "Yes, she's with me."

Kate sighs with relief, "Thank God…"

"Did Ana say something?" I ask her, "What has happened, how long has she been with you?"

"She showed up early this morning. She just said she needed to stay with me. I asked if you cheated on her and she said no…" – _of course that would be Kate's first question,_ "…. So I asked her about the baby, and she just started bawling. She couldn't stop crying. I brought her inside the house and she continued crying…. She didn't stop until she fell asleep. By the way, her milk came in mid cry so she pumped and I sent a few bottles back with Sawyer."

"Is she still asleep?"

"Yes," Kate answers as Sawyer walks into the living room with bottles in his hands. "What the hell is going on Christian?"

I run my hand through my hair and I try to gather my thoughts. "It's a long story Kate…"

"I have time," she snaps, "Vaughn is on a road trip with the team right now so I have plenty of time for your wife."

"I can't tell you everything – if she tells you, that is her prerogative," I finally decide to confess, "But I kept something from her, and I think she is stressed. I am not a hundred percent sure what else is going on."

I feel ashamed to tell her all of that, and I feel the indignation from Kate as I hear a small gasp on the other end.

"Christian," Kate snaps; her voice full of exasperation and disappointed, "Your wife is a tough bitch, but I have _never _seen her like this. She is not herself. It's like I am looking at a zombie. I don't know what is going with you two, but I think it is complete bullshit that you don't know for certain why she is like this, a guess is not good enough when it is the love of your fucking life. So, Ana can stay with me, I'll send bottles over to the house when she's ready. I'll try to do my best with her, but get your shit together Grey. She needs you… she's a tough bitch, but she needs you more than ever."

As Katherine Vaughn hangs up with me, I realize for the first time in my years of communicating with my wife's best friend that she is right. I fucking hate how much she is right.

**Ana – Four Years Ago**

** I sit outside Christian's office while he talks to his lawyers. **Now that the takeover is complete, he wants to write Carrick completely out of his life forever. Legal action will be taken on Carrick for his actions, but Christian also wants to slap a restraining order and whatever else he can find on him, his lackeys, and anyone else he sees as a threat. I feel the need to be here, even though he doesn't want to place me with this burden.

"Ana…." I hear from inside his office, "I know you're out there." I stay quiet, hoping he won't notice. "Anastasia Grey, get that cute butt in here. You aren't fooling anybody."

I sigh and finally enter the room. He smirks up at me as he continues his conversation. I fall into his lap and curl up on him as he continues his phone conversation.

"Thank you," he finally says after several minutes of talking, "Great, I am glad this was taken care of. Thank you."

He hangs up the phone and kisses me on the top of the head. "All taken care of…." He tells me, "Carrick is out of our lives forever."

"How do you feel about this?" I ask him.

"Fucking wonderful," he says in a sarcastic tone.

"Christian, be serious."

"What the hell do I have to be serious about Anastasia?" he asks me, "There was a problem and I took care of it."

I need to be able to see his face so I place my bottom on his desk, and place my legs on each side of his chair.

"Baby, I love you in this position," he practically groans.

I stand up and place my hands on each side of him. "Stop this, stop diverting how you really feel."

"Are you my shrink now, baby?" He asks me with an amused tone, "Because you don't look like a British man with a mustache."

I groan and smack him on the arm. "You just kicked your father out of your life forever and you have nothing else to say about this?"

"No, I don't. He isn't my father, he is a threat."

"He betrayed your trust after all these years, and you feel nothing?" I ask him, "This is your father, the person who was supposed to mean the world to you, this person who was supposed to take care of you."

"I have you, I have my mother, I have Mia…"

"You have Elliot."

"I have Mia," he says, grabbing the sides of my face, "I have everything I need. Don't make this out of something that it isn't."

"But Christian…."

"Ana, that's enough," he snaps. I hate when he tries to intimidate me in order to get me to drop a subject he doesn't want to discuss._ Really Grey, I can play big and bad just like you. _He doesn't need "big and bad" right now; he needs a reminder of us and what we mean to each other.

"I need to know you're ok," I blurt out, "I need to know that you are ok. I know what it's like to feel alone…. I don't want you to feel that way. I know what it means to lose your parents, and I hate that you are going through this. No matter how big of a dick your Dad is…"

He softens and smiles. He wipes the tears that have formed in my eyes and kisses me on the forehead. "I have you… and no one else has taken care of me the way that you have… So please, don't worry about me. It is my job to worry about you."

"But someone needs to worry about you…" I tell him as he kisses me.

"You are so sweet," he breathes, "My sweet angel." He holds me for several minutes, and I know that together we will be all right.

**Christian - Present**

** I need help, and I need guidance. **I called Flynn over to the house, and I told him everything. I told him everything about Ana's mother and the stress Ana has been over with the baby. Obviously Flynn seems to be very transfixed with the idea of Ana's mother still being alive.

"No wonder she split," Flynn says as he shakes his head, "That is a big shock coupled with the Post-Partum."

"So you think she has Post-Partum depression?"

"Oh absolutely she does," Flynn says with an adamant nod of his head, "I'd like to treat her immediately. This is behavior is definitely out of the usual for your wife."

"She has run from me before," I remind him reluctantly.

He shakes his head, "You better change that attitude when she comes back."

"What if she doesn't come back?"

"Jesus Christian," Flynn huffs, "Just because she ran after a relationship issue doesn't mean you are allowed to peg her as a "runner"… that is going to get you nowhere in your relationship with her."

"What are you talking about?"

He sighs deeply with exasperation, "When she found out that her parents had died and she would have been under the care of her grandparents, did she run away and run from Genevieve?"

"No…"

"And when she found out that her little sister would be having a baby at sixteen, did she say "bloody hell to the pair of you, I am leaving you forever.""

Suddenly, Gail walks into the room and places the baby in my arms. She is awake and smiling brightly at me.

"It's a good thing Gail brought her in here…. I was almost to the point of yelling at you," Flynn says as he gazes at Josephine, "The answer is no to that last question, Christian. She ran because she didn't feel like you'd be there for her. She ran because she didn't understand how deeply your love for each other runs. She ran because she thought she would be happier elsewhere. She didn't need a man, she needed a champion."

As I stare at my daughter in my arms, I feel slightly more hopeful. "What do I need to do to keep my family together?"

Flynn takes another exasperated sigh. Flynn obviously believes I should have figured this out by now.

"Be her champion…"

**Ana – Present time **

** I have reached a break in between my tears and I am able to have a moment of peace. **So much is going through my head right now, and I am trying calm the fuck down. I don't know why I am crying so much, I don't know why I can't control my tears. I have had a few hours of cry-less talking with Kate, but we didn't talk as much as we usually do. I don't want to tell her about my mother, I don't want to dignify her existence with telling my best friend about her.

"Ana…" I hear Kate's voice from the door, "Do you want some dinner?"

"Yes," I reply back weakly. 

I hear a smile in her voice, "Ok, well since you know me and my culinary skills – how does spaghetti sound?"

Tears burst through my eyes like bullets and I cannot control these tears, they are too intense.

"What did I do?" she asks as she sits at my side.

"Christian lo-loves spaghetti," I sob as Kate's face fills with sadness.

"Ana, he'll forgive you for this," she tells me as she gets up from the bed, "I know what you are thinking, and your husband will forgive you. He understands and he loves you. He is just giving you space."

I don't want space. I want to go home. I just can't get up. It's like a force field has held me down to this bed and it refuses to let me go. It refuses to let me get back to my life. I continue to softly cry as Kate leaves the room to begin our supper.

Minutes later, I hear wheels driving up Kate's driveway. Slamming doors, loud voices, and a frantic Kate is what I hear loudly outside of my room. I try to lift my head, but I can't.

I hear the voices get much louder and move closer to my bedroom. The door busts open and I turn to see my husband standing at the threshold.

"I don't know if she is in the right state of mind to go with you," I hear Kate say on the side, "She needs more rest. She is exhausted."

"This is my wife," Christian snaps at her, "And I know damn well how to take care of her. She is coming back with me."

I feel his big, strong arms pick me up easily from the bed. He leans down and gently kisses my forehead.

"Oh baby," he breathes once he realizes I am crying, "I'll take care of you…. We'll figure this out. This is what we do."

"What are you doing?" I ask him softly.

He kisses me once more, "I am dragging you home where you belong. I am doing what I should have done ten years ago…"


	17. Happy 13th Birthday Baby Girl

**A/N – Sorry for the delay, I got distracted with my newest story… You know, it happens. Lol. Thank you for being so patient! This chapter was supposed to be one thing, and changed directions while I typed. I love when that happens and hopefully you will too! Enjoy! I don't own FSOG **

**Chapter 17 – Happy 13****th**** Birthday Baby Girl**

**Genevieve**

** "Mommy, what are you doing," Rocky says as he climbs up on the table. **

"Well honey," I say as I finish up the table arrangements, "We're getting ready for sissy's birthday."

"Can I go roller skating too Mom?" Rocky asks as he practically climbs on my back.

"No baby, I am sorry," I say as I stop what I am doing to kiss my son, "This is for Hayden and her friends only."

He pouts as I hug my little man. "It's gunna be boring."

"Uncle Christian and Aunt Ana will be here and I think Rachel's brothers Mason and Cole will be here too…." I tell Rocky as he pouts again, "Don't pout like your father."

"Daddy!" Rocky immediately cries as Elliot enters the room right on time.

"Hey buddy," he says as he picks Rocky up, "Baby, this looks awesome."

I stand back and take a look at my handiwork. Christian hired several nannies for the day and they helped me set up for Hayden's thirteenth birthday while the others looked after Ireland. Tonight, they'll continue to care for Ireland and care for Josephine while Christian and Ana come to the party.

My girl is turning the landmark age of thirteen so tonight needs to be extra special. Hayden's new fascination is with Roller Derby. Her new best friend Rachel has her obsessed with the sport, so of course for her 13th birthday – she wanted to have it at the Roller Rink. Elliot rented out "Skate King" in Bellevue for the night, and Hayden and her friends are getting ready for the festivities with Mia and Flora.

The room is a neon masterpiece. Streamers are hanging from the walls, music is blasting through the rafters, and I think this is as cool as I could have possibly made her birthday party. I want to cry when I think about how much time has passed by. Ten years ago, I was putting up pink streamers with Anastasia for her third birthday in our cramped Boston apartment. Now my daughter is thirteen, Elliot and I are happily married with a huge family, and I have a legion of people to help me with the party.

"Baby?" Elliot asks as he holds me and our son, "Are you ok?"

I nod as I wipe away the tears I didn't realize were forming in the corners of my eyes, "I can't believe she is thirteen."

Elliot snorts, "I know…."

I look up at my husband and smile, "She's not a baby anymore."

"Don't tell her that," he jokes as he kisses me, "She'll start thinking she can act like an adult."

He is trying to joke, but I know he is terrified too. Now that she is three years away from being sixteen, the age I was when I was pregnant with her, he is beyond irrationally protective of her. I think he is picking up tips from Christian.

"I think we're done," I say, trying to change the subject, "Geez, ten years ago, I was tacking Pink everywhere and getting ready for her princess party – now I am in a roller rink with strict instructions to keep it cool."

"No one is cooler than us," Elliot jokes. I subtly notice that the light doesn't reach his eyes.

"Damn right…"

** Hayden's friends and invitees begin to arrive and I get a text message from Mia stating that she and the girls are on their way. **I am terrified to see how Mia has dressed them. I know she won't go too over to the top – I think. I greet a few parents, and then finally make my way to Ana and Christian who have just arrived.

It's been two weeks since Ana's mental breakdown at the mansion, and I haven't spoken with my sister much since then. I have tried to ask Elliot what happened, considering he was inside the house, but all he said was that we should wait for Ana to tell me. I have waited patiently, considering Ana has dealt with post-partum depression – I don't want to aggravate her right now. I am getting impatient and I am ready for her to spill the beans.

Elliot moves to my side and he quickly hugs his older brother. I take one look at my sister and I know she is feeling much better. My sister looks gorgeous. I saw her briefly two weeks ago, and she looked like a fucking train wreck. Now, her chestnut hair is lying artfully around her back, the color is back in her features, her short black dress accentuates her post baby breasts, and her brown knee high boots are fucking awesome.

"You look hot A," I tell her as she laughs, "I am surprised he let you out of the house looking like this."

"Thanks," she says with a laugh, "He almost didn't."

I look over at Christian and the look on his face explains it all. He seems to be at war with himself – obviously his wife is hot, and if they were going anywhere but his niece's birthday party, she would be dressed much differently. He is also ready for the next two weeks to be over like Elliot is ready for my doctor's appointment on Wednesday. Poor Christian needs to get some.

Taylor follows them with a huge package wrapped in neon yellow wrapping paper. "Christian went overboard with Hayden's gift," Ana informs Elliot and me.

"This is my niece,on her thirteenth birthday," he says, exasperated with Ana's admonishment, "Almost ten years ago, I met that little squirt for the first time…. And I have loved her like she was my own. This is important"

Ana seems to be swooning over her husband's sweet words about Hayden, and she playfully kisses him on the cheek. Ana has improved without a doubt, and maybe I can pull out some information out of my big sister. I catch a glimpse of Elliot and his face seems to be completely unreadable.

"Here she comes," Elliot whispers in my ear. I turn to the entrance, and Hayden and her friends are dressed in full "Roller Derby" gear. Hayden's blonde hair is pulled up into a big bun and her outfit is black with neon pink stripes. Some things thankfully never change.

"Mom, this is awesome," Hayden squeals as she hugs me, "Thank you so much."

When Elliot tries to hug her, and she instantly looks embarrassed. She shrugs him off and moves quickly to Ana. Elliot's face turns from unreadable to crushed in a split second. _Oh no,_ she is not going to blow off her father like that.

"Hayden Carla, hug the man who gave you life," I bark at her.

She rolls her eyes, "He tries to kiss me and calls me his baby girl, it's embarrassing. People are watching."

I can already tell that I am not going to like her teenage years. "Oh hell no, I'll show you embarrassing. Hug your father right now before we call off the party and send everyone home."

"Mom!" She wines, "You're making it worse!"

"Hug your father now before I make it even more worse… "

She quickly hugs Elliot, but I know he is devastated by her behavior. She storms off and goes to meet her friends. I am tempted to take her new neon pink skates that her father bought her away for that act of defiance.

Rachel's father and one of Elliot's good friends smacks him on the back. "Don't worry about it; she's at that age where everything you do is embarrassing. They get over it."

He nods and quickly tries to hide his true feelings. I step up on my tip toes and whisper in his ear. "She loves you, she's also thirteen. I am sorry baby; we'll deal with her when we get home." I kiss his cheek and he forces out a smile.

I know my husband well enough to know how much he is hurting over this. Raising a teenager is starting off fucking perfect.

**After the Elliot debacle, the night moves on and seems to run smoothly. **Rocky found Mason and Cole and seems to be content on playing with Rachel's little brothers. Hayden loves Roller skating with her friends; this birthday idea was perfect for her. Christian has been able to calm Elliot down, and they've been chatting the night away. When my big sister isn't glued to her husband, she is chatting with me also.

"You seem to be doing much better," I say as she smiles, "Christian told me before we cut the cake that you've been seeing Flynn for your post-partum depression."

She nods, "I can't believe I haven't gone to see Christian's shrink earlier, he has really helped. I was worried they'd need to put me on anti-depressants, but we have seemed to bypass that option and I couldn't be more pleased."

"Anti-depressants? Really?" I ask. She looks at me for a second, seeming to decipher something in her brain, and she just nods.

"It's a long story, but lot of this has been stress related, and I have been able to work through my issues with the help of Flynn and a few stress relief strategies…. Also, Christian has taken the last two weeks off of work."

"Really? That doesn't sound like Christian."

She nods and smiles, "I know, but I have needed him and he has been there for me and the baby. He has executives that have been able to run the company in his absence."

"Wow, that's awesome…." I say as I watch my daughter fly past us, "Since he is around a lot more, I bet that has made these last two weeks much harder."

She laughs, "Are you kidding me? If I could get the clear – we would be doing it right now."

"In a public place?"

"It wouldn't be the first time," she says as we both cackle, "You should be ready soon, right?"

"We should know by Wednesday at 8:00 AM," Elliot cuts in to our conversation.

"He moved up my appointment," I tell Ana as she laughs again. Her mood suddenly changes as she whips her gaze to Christian.

"Have you checked on the baby?" she asks.

Christian nods, "I swear, you are worse than me. Yes, she is asleep. Mom went to go check on her."

"I am surprised Grace didn't want to come to Hayden's roller derby birthday…"

"You kids have fun," Elliot says, impersonating Grace, "But Roller skating is for a younger generation. We will have dinner in honor of Hayden's birthday very soon."

"Baby, don't impersonate your mother…" I tell him as I hit his shoulder.

"I cannot believe she is thirteen," Ana says as we watch Hayden with her friends, "It seems just yesterday we were planning her pink princess party."

"You had just started seeing Christian," I remind her, "She loved Christian so much. She would always tell Ana that she and Christian were going to go on a date."

I turn to Elliot to continue telling him the tale, but his eyes are cold.

"Oh hey, can we have lunch tomorrow?" Ana asks me as I continue to stare at Elliot, "We need to talk about a few things…"

Mia skates over to us, her hair wild from the night. "Where is Hayden?" Elliot asks his sister, "I looked away for a second and she was gone."

"Yeah," Mia says nervously, "About that… did you invite boys to this party?"

"No…"

"What boys?" Elliot barks at his sister.

"When we were getting dressed for the party, Hayden and her friends were talking about this Sam person. Flora and I didn't have any idea who they were talking about so we ignored it…. Well, it seems that Sam showed up."

Elliot is immediately out of his seat and looking frantically for Hayden. Mia follows him around the rink. When we can't find Hayden inside, Elliot immediately moves his search outside. When we turn the first corner, I see the muscles bunch in Elliot's arms, and I feel the breath fly out of my lungs. My daughter is sucking face with who I presume to be Sam.

"We are in a public place, Elliot…." I whisper.

"Get the fuck away from my daughter," Elliot barks at Sam and Hayden. They jump apart from each other and Hayden looks mortified.

"DAD!"

"Who the fuck are you?" Elliot screams at the kid, "Why are you at my daughter's birthday when you weren't even fucking invited, and why were you kissing my daughter…?"

"Dad, stop it, this is embarrassing."

Christian suddenly appears at his right arm and tries to hold my husband back. "El, he is a kid, calm down."

"Calm down? Why am I supposed to calm the fuck down? If you caught Josephine kissing some boy when she is still a child, you wouldn't calm the fuck down either…" Elliot screams, tossing his older brother's arm to the side.

"Hayden, come inside," Ana says as she reaches for her.

"Go home, 6th grade fucker," Elliot screams at the poor kid. Poor Sam looks terrified. My husband is gigantic compared to Hayden's scrawny boyfriend.

"Dad, you're so embarrassing. I hate you – you ruined my birthday party," she screams as she runs inside.

Ana runs for Hayden as Christian and I pull my husband inside and try to calm him down. I am thankful that no one has noticed that we even left the building. Elliot throws himself down on a seat as I sit at his side.

"Baby, calm down."

"I missed it," he spits out as his gaze moves to Christian, "You were at her third birthday party. You bought her what I should have bought her. You were there for her when I wasn't. Now my daughter is thirteen years old and she's kissing boys and she hates me…. "

"You have been here for nine years."

"I think you mean eight," he barks at me, reminding me of the year I took her away from him.

"Elliot stop, you're not mad at Gen. Don't lash out at Genevieve just because of the incident outside," Christian tells him, "Lash out at that fucking kid who kissed Hayden."

"Of course, neither of you get it," Elliot yells at he stands up, "I am going to take Rocky and I am going to home and I am going to see our other daughter, and spend time with the kids I haven't fucked up yet. You three can celebrate a lifetime of parenting my kid… have a nice fucking night."

I am in shock when he grabs Rocky and heads for the door. I turn to Christian and I know my jaw is on the floor.

"What the hell am I going to do?"

**Reviews are always appreciated!**


	18. I need to get laid

**Chapter 18 – I need to get laid**

**Genevieve **

** When the light peeks through our curtains, my eyes instantly open, and I prop myself up on my elbows to see my surroundings.** Elliot is in the same position he was when I walked in last night, slumped over the right side of the bed, dead to the world. When I came home last night, Elliot had taken care of the youngest children perfectly. Rocky was in bed, and Ireland was sleeping peacefully. I didn't talk to Hayden on the trip home, but I need to speak with her eventually. I am so lost on how to deal with the events of last night. I don't know how Hayden and Elliot are going to react to each other, and I wish I had any sort of indication about what could possibly happen.

The phone rings loudly at my bed side and I fly up to get it. Elliot groans something unintelligible as I take the call in the kitchen. When I see that it is 8 AM, I groan to myself as I answer.

"Hello…"

"Hey," I hear my sister's voice on the other end, "I'm sorry it's early, I just thought I might call and remind you of our breakfast date…"

"What breakfast date?"

She snorts. "Yeah, I figured this would happen. I talked to you last night after Elliot left about meeting today for lunch, and then you said that you preferred breakfast so that's why I am calling you now…."

I don't remember this, but since I am up – I might as well go get breakfast with my sister. Elliot doesn't have to work till three, so I assume that's why I told her all of that.

"Fine, I can meet you. Elliot can watch the kids," I tell my sister as I am immediately filled with panic. I am slightly nervous to leave Elliot and Hayden alone in the same house, but they just need to get over it – Mom needs a break from the drama.

"You nervous about leaving Elliot with Hayden?" she asks, reading my mind.

"A tad…"

"We don't need to go…" Ana tries to tell me. Suddenly, the idea of abandoning my warring family to see my sister is very appealing.

"No I'll be there," I tell her as we make final plans. Hayden is downstairs several seconds later, new IPAD from Uncle Christian in her hand. This was one gift in a parade of over-the-top gifts from my brother-in-law.

"Hey, I can't make you breakfast this morning, I am meeting with your aunt. Will you be ok here alone with your brother, sister, and father?" I ask.

She nods as she continues to fidget on her IPad, completely ignoring my presence. "Hayden, can you manage not to be a bitch to anyone else until I can return home and clean up your messes."

Her eyes fly open and her mouth gapes. "Mom!"

"Listen, I know you're thirteen and you assume that this gives you the right to treat anyone you want like complete crap," I tell her, so fed up with her pissy behavior, "Just remember – I can out bitch anyone, anytime. I am Queen Bitch – I invented it, that role is mine. You better understand that you cannot walk around being awful to everyone or there will be severe consequences – do I make myself clear?"

She scowls and nods as I turn to exit the room. When I enter our bedroom, Elliot's face is slightly amused.

"Did you just call our daughter a bitch?"

"She's acting like one…." I snap as I throw off my top, "Will you be ok with the three of them this morning? I am going to have breakfast with Ana."

He nods, "I'll be fine. If you are meeting with Ana, maybe I need to take the whole day off…."

I look up at him, suddenly very concerned to why he thinks that is necessary. "Elliot…"

He walks over and kisses me and tries to smile. "It will be ok. Don't worry."

** When I walk into the restaurant, Ana is already seated. **She looks as just as gorgeous as she did last night. She is wearing a blue dress, brown strappy sandals, and her hair is perfectly laying down her back. All I did was throw my hair up in a bun and throw on the first dress Elliot growled at. That man needs to get laid.Fuck, I need to get laid, three more days.

"Does Christian have the baby this morning?" I ask as we greet each other with a hug.

"No, my dear husband had to return to work, Gail has her this morning."

"How is my niece?" I ask as we both sit.

She brightens up at the subject of her daughter. "Wonderful. She's looking more and more like her father with each passing day."

"I don't know, I think she looks like you," I tell her as the waiter takes our drink orders.

She laughs, "Now that her hair is starting to grow, it is getting very coppery – just like Daddy."

"But she has your eyes," I remind her.

"I guess," she says with a smirk.

"You seem to be doing much better… I am really sorry we haven't had much time to talk," I admit as we peruse our menus, "I feel bad that you've been suffering and I haven't even been there for you."

"You have three kids Gen," she says with a smile, "I think you get a pass. I have Christian – I've been fine."

"It's just weird," I tell her, "I still miss the old days, when we were so involved in each other's lives because we were all the other had."

She nods pensively to herself, "Life has changed, and we both have husbands and children coming out the ying yang."

"I'd really like my husband on my ying yang," I blurt out as Ana falls into a fit of giggles.

"We are in a public place Genevieve Grey," she admonishes me.

"I think that's why Elliot is so on edge, we need to have sex – this is what we do," I tell her as I see her eyes glaze over, "And by the way you look, you feel the exact same way."

"No I don't, I can control my urges…"

"Keep telling yourself that Ana…."

She places her head in her hands and sighs deeply. "The more you talk about sex – the hornier I get."

I snort, "We are in a public place Anastasia Grey."

"Shut up," she snorts. The waiter takes our orders, hopefully clueless to our PG-13 conversation that is borderline rated R.

"Admit it…" I tell her, "Gun to your head, you need to get laid."

"Of course I need to get laid," she hisses at me, "Oral sex is just not working right now." _…And we've hit R-Rated territory._ "I read somewhere that I am not supposed to want sex as much as I usually do after I have a baby…. what the fuck, those people are obviously not married to Grey men."

"Exactly," I say with a laugh.

"I am jealous that you have until Wednesday…. I have two more weeks. I am not going to last that long…. Especially since he has been around a lot lately, being extra attentive to me, being all husband of the year. I sent him to work just so I can some peace…"

We both laugh and begin eating our breakfasts. The laughter dies down, and I remember why I am here. There is still the elephant in the room. I still need to know what happened all those weeks ago. The longer she keeps this from me, the more concerned I become.

"So are we ever going to talk about the other night at the mansion…. When you flipped out."

She nods, "We need to talk in the car…. Not out here."

I feel my stomach drop. "Why? What is it Ana?"

She sighs, "Please Gen…. in the car, after we eat – I promise."

Shit, this isn't going to be good.

**When we get into the SVU, she looks immediately anxious. ** We sit in silence for several moments before she opens her mouth.

"Mom is alive."

I can't even comprehend what she is saying to me. "What?"

"I should have told you earlier…. I am such a hypocrite, but I am sorry. Mom is alive, she was inside the house when we went to go stalk Christian and Elliot and Grace. She was talking to them, Christian need their advice on how to tell us about this…."

"Wait, stop talking."

"What?" she asks, her voice wracked with anxiety.

"Mom's alive…." Ana nods, tears pooling at her eyes. "….How?" I breathe out.

"She witnessed a murder, and she ran for so many years before the FBI got wind of what happened…"

"Whose murder did she witness?" I ask. This is insane, what the hell is going on? She was running from the FBI? This sounds like a fucking Lifetime movie.

Ana gulps, "Dad's…."

**I know he isn't expecting me, but I hope he can make an exception for his sister-in-law. **Christian has always been like the brother I never had, and I value our relationship. Hopefully he values me enough to stop what he is doing and talk to me.

"Excuse me Miss….," his assistant says as I make a b-line for his door, "Do you have an appointment with Mr. Grey?"

"I'm his sister-in-law…" I tell her, "I need to talk to him."

Christian suddenly appears at the door and confusion fills his expression as he takes in my sudden appearance at his office. He finally shakes his head and snickers to himself.

"Please excuse my sister-in-law Andrea…. Like my wife, she doesn't often comprehend words like "appointments" and "I apologize, but he is busy.""

I give him a look and he snickers. "I'm sorry Andrea, I need to put a pause on my very busy day to talk to my sister…. please excuse us. Move back my eleven o clock…"

Even though he was making fun of me, I blush when he refers to me as his sister. He has never defined our relationship in those terms before, and I like that he finally has. We enter his office and I am taken back by all of the pictures of Ana and Josephine scattered around his office. For someone who was so terrified of becoming a father, he really has embraced his new role.

"What do I owe the honor?" he asks as he takes a seat at his massive brown desk. I quickly remember Ana telling me stories about all the sex they've had on that desk, and I can't help but giggle to myself. He gestures for me to sit across from him, and I do before he catches on to what I am thinking about.

"I had breakfast with your wife this morning…"

He nods, "She told me."

"And first I want to say – thank you for taking off work to take care of her. She looks so much better, and she seems to be back to her old self…"

He nods and his expression softens, "I'm her husband, that's my job…"

"I know…" I say, "I am just thankful. I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate you. Ana has never been one to have someone take care of her like this."

He softens even more, "I like a challenge."

I snort, "She is one indeed."

"So I know you didn't come over and interrupt my day just talk about how excellent I am in all areas of my life…"

I snicker and shake my head. "Ana told me about Mom."

His eyes widen and he shifts in his seat. "It's about time…"

"Ana doesn't want anything to do with her…. She wants her life to remain separate from Mom's."

"I don't agree with her decision, but that is what she wants. She worked all of that out with Flynn so I am going to honor it…. For a while."

"I want to meet her," I blurt out, "I want to arrange a meeting with her. I want to know her. "He nods and I continue. "And I want you, Grace, and Elliot to come with me."

His brow furrows. "Why?"

"Since Ana doesn't want to see her…. I really want the only family I have ever known at my side. You just set up a time, and Ana has already offered to watch the kids."

He nods, "Ok Gen…. I'll put in a call…"

**A/N – I don't own FSOG. Thank you so much for your kind comments and reviews from the last chapter! Let me know what you think! Next week is my break and I will hopefully have plenty of time to update a bunch! **


	19. Mag, Darling, You are being a bore

**A/N – Hey guys! I know it's been a while…. I've been working on my other story (Save me from myself). That happens to me a lot… sorry guys! I am hoping to update this more…. Not as consistently because I am now doing two at once, but updating will happen. Enjoy and PLEASE let me know what you think!**

**Chapter 19 – Mag, Darling, You are being a bore**

**Genevieve**

** I should be more anxious, but I can't find it in myself to freak out. **I take in a deep breath and absorb the Seattle morning as Taylor drives. It is dark and rainy and I love it. I lulls me to sleep as he drives, keeping me at peace with what I am about to face ahead of me.

Elliot snickers, "You awake baby?"

"I love a rainy morning…" I tell him, squeezing his hand. Christian turns around and smirks at both of us.

"I thought neither Steele sister was a morning person," Christian mutters, "You're almost too happy this morning."

"Yeah she is…." Elliot snorts as all three of us laugh. We had sex last night – the first time since Ireland was born, and Elliot now thinks he can walk on water

"God," Christian huffs in agitation, "I am leaving and going to work if you two are going to be gross this morning… It's too early for that shit."

"Somebody sounds jealous," Elliot fires back, "Your time will come big bro…. just wait."

"How much time do you guys have left anyway," I ask out of curiosity.

"One more fucking week," Christian huffs, shaking his head, "That is one week too long."

Elliot tries to pat him on this back, but Christian shakes him off. "Dude, don't touch me…." He murmurs as Elliot laughs once again.

The phone rings, and I see that Ana is calling. I put my sister immediately on speaker phone. "Hey… how is it going over there?" I ask her.

"Pretty good… Hayden and I were going to take a cat nap, but I can't nap when it is raining," she tells me.

Ana and Gail have so graciously offered to watch my children while we do this. We dropped them off early in the morning, so they are very newly fed and back to sleep. Ana and Gail should have a fairly easy morning.

"Every child under the age of five is asleep and Hayden and I are watching Breakfast at Tiffany's…. apparently someone has never seen this before…." Ana chastises me, "That's bad parenting Gen."

I snort, "Well, I'm glad she is watching with cool Aunt Ana now…"

"Mag, darling, you're being a bore," I hear Hayden repeat in the background.

"Well, I am glad you two are having fun…. The babies should wake pretty soon," I remind her.

"I know…. We'll be fine. Your kids are safe with me. You just focus on the meeting," she says adamantly, "Tell me how it goes…"

"Ana…." I sigh, "Are you sure you don't want to have Sawyer drive you over here…. You could meet her too."

She groans, probably irritated that I am bringing this up again, "I'm good. Look, I've gotta go. I'll talk to you later…"

She hangs up and Christian shakes his head. "I'm with you Gen… she shouldn't be this stubborn about meeting her own mother."

"I mean, I understand where she is coming from," I say as I put my phone away, "She raised me all on her own. She had some help from our foster parents, but once Ana turned eighteen – she took full responsibility of me. So I can understand how this must feel… "

Christian nods, "Listen, I would not let this happen if I wasn't 100% confident that everything checks out. So with all of that in mind, I wish Ana would give her a chance. I've spoken with Carla and have done the necessary background checks. I have looked into all of this and everything seems clean. She seems very genuine and wants to be a part of her life as much as she is able. I think there is nothing wrong with Ana having more people in her life who love her, especially her mother…"

I nod and smile at how sweet he is. He can be a cold jackass at times, but he truly wants what is best for my sister. "Now explain to me all the intricacies of all of this," I ask my brother-in-law out of curiosity, "Can she not leave?"

Christian nods, "The FBI seems to believe that she is safe to go about her life has normal, but they are still trying to do last minute checks to make sure she is 100% safe. Their process will last about two or three weeks. She has been cleared to have visitors."

I don't want to think too deeply about why it isn't safe for my mother to leave the safe house. I have asked Christian not to give me details about my father's murder, or my mother's past that lead her to this point. That can come later… maybe. I just want to have a simple conversation with the woman who gave me life – nothing else.

We pull up outside the safe house, and Christian turns around. "You ready?" A second car pulls up behind us and Grace gets out of the vehicle. Grace has to leave early to make it work, so she decided to drive separately. I wish Ana could be here, but I have as much family as I could bring with me. I feel good about this.

Grace grabs my hand and Elliot grabs my other. Christian leads us in and we are greeted by a man at the front door. He smiles at me, his brown eyes wide with excitement.

"You must be Genevieve," he greets me. He is a tall man, kind eyes, with a dark complexion.

"Yes," I shake my head.

"I'm Jonas," he says, holding out his hand, "I'm your Step-father…"

I look frantically over at Elliot, Grace, and then Christian. "Excuse us Jonas," Christian says diplomatically, "We're running a little late."

It is a flimsy excuse, but I don't think I could handle any more ball drops – which includes any awkward introduction to my Step Father. Jonas nods kindly and allows us through. I mouth thank you to Christian and he nods back at me. Christian leads us up the staircase, and to a large brown door.

"You ready?" he turns to me. Grace squeezes my hand and Elliot gives me a quick kiss.

"Yeah, let's do this…"

**Genevieve – 23 Years Earlier**

** "Gen," Mommy whispers, "Baby girl… wake up…"**

The rain is loud and hits my window as I try to open my eyes. "What time is it?" I ask her as she grins.

"It is seven AM, and Daddy is at work…." She grins, "Wanna go run in the rain in our PJs?"

I jump out of my bed as she grabs my hand. "Where is Ana?" I ask as we enter the kitchen. My big sister is lying on the kitchen counter, bowl of cereal next to her head.

"Your sister isn't having the happiest of mornings…. We'll leave let her be," Mom says as she grabs my rain boots. Mommy already has hers ready and as soon as I put them on – we are out the door.

Mommy and I chase each other in the backyard, the rain pouring over us both. This is so much fun, and I scream loudly when Mommy splashes me with water.

Suddenly, I hear my sister from the back door. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"PLAYING IN THE RAIN," Mom yells at Ana, "Come play with us baby girl!"

"Yeah Ana!" I shriek, "Come play, it's fun."

"You'll catch a cold!" Ana yells back at us.

"Oh goodness gracious Anastasia," Mom yells at her, "Come out and be my eight year old…"

"Come on Ana!" I squeal to my sister. I see her go look for her boots and then come back outside.

"My mission Gen," she whispers in my ear, "Is to make your sister not so much of a stick in the mud…" We both giggle as my sister runs out and hugs us both.

**When I enter the upstairs living room, I see my mother standing across the room, staring out the window. **She turns around and takes in a deep breath when she sees me. My memories and reality converge as I stare into the green eyes of my Mother. I take in a deep breath as she moves toward me.

"Hi baby girl," she says, tears falling down her cheeks, "I am so happy to see you…"

We move across the room and I immediately fall into her arms. "Hi, Mom…."

She squeezes me tight and kisses my hair. "I've missed you sweet girl," she breathes. She grabs my face and takes in my appearance. "You haven't changed at all… except you've somehow managed to become more beautiful over the years…"

I sigh deeply, trying to hold back tears. "Thank you…"

She looks behind me and acknowledges my family standing with me. "Christian – thank you for making this happen… I owe you so much."

He smirks and we all take a seat on the couches. "So how is my beautiful granddaughter?" she asks, "Actually…. Our beautiful granddaughter?" She nods to Grace and Grace smiles with pride.

"Perfect," I tell her as I search my phone for a picture, "In a million years, I would never have expected to have three kids by the time I was twenty eight."

She looks up at Elliot and nods. "I never expected that for you either…" she says darkly, eyeing my husband with speculative eyes.

Elliot's eyes grow wide, and he looks over at Grace. He is the reason I was pregnant at sixteen, I am sure my mother didn't enjoy hearing that news from afar. Fuck, I hope she wasn't disappointed in me over that. _How many fucking people did I disappoint during that time? _"But I love it," I say, trying to keep the peace. "I did the whole wild streak for a while… it really wasn't me. Ana kicked my ass…"

Mom gives me a sad smile when I mention my sister. "So I guess Ana said no at my offer to coming here today…."

We all nod, and she shakes her head. "I really tried to convince her," Christian tries to reassure her.

"No, I get it," she says, wiping away tears, "God, I guess that girl is more like me than I ever anticipated." I squeeze her hand and she sighs deeply. "Good luck with her Christian…"

We all snicker and Christian smiles fondly. "I brought more pictures of Josephine for you…" he tells her.

"Oh please let me see," she pleads as Christian hands over a set of prints. Mom looks through the set of pictures and her tears begin to fall. I smile as I look at the picture of Ireland and Josephine together – those two better love each other; it would kill Ana and me if they didn't. Christian and I rattle off their development stats, and Mom beams with pride.

"So tell me about your other two honey…" she beams, "Confession… I met Hayden at the hospital."

"You did?" I ask, unable to hide my shock.

"I have connections, but I was able to be there for Josephine's and Ireland's births. I met Hayden in the middle of all that…"

I turn to look around the room, and I see surprise from everybody but Christian. I turn back, and something hits me.

"You know Mom…. I don't think you'll be able to really meet the kids…. We've told Hayden her entire life that Grandma and Grandpa are dead. I think that will confuse her like crazy."

She nods and takes in a sharp breath. Obviously, this hadn't occurred to her. She wipes back a couple of tears and I know this isn't easy for her. "I get it… " she huffs out.

I want to change the subject, to anything so her face doesn't look like that. I don't even know her, but I hate that she is so upset right now.

"So how much of our lives were you able to be a part of…" I ask, "I guess I am just not sure how much they allowed?"

She nods, "I ran for a good five years after the accident. I was so afraid to tell anyone about what happened, or talk to anybody. I didn't have a lot of money…. So I couldn't get very far. It wasn't until I met Jonas that I had contact with the FBI… and once I was in contact with the FBI, that's when I was allowed to have some sort of influence in what went on in your lives. Ana was thirteen at the time and you were eleven – I couldn't have much influence. Life was already moving a long."

"Your husband was FBI?"

She nods fondly, "I met him, and he took care of me. When you turned sixteen, I celebrated by marrying Jonas in Vegas."

"Oh, how sweet," I murmur to myself, "That was the year I got pregnant…"

She nods, looking back at Elliot for a second time. "Yes it was." The room stays silent for several moments before Elliot speaks.

"Listen… Carla…." Elliot tries to say.

Grace stops him, and turns back to Mom. "What do you know?"

Her eyes turn to Elliot. "I know that when I asked about the father, and if he would be a part of my grandchild's life – I got a resounding no from investigators who looked into the situation from me."

She nods, "My ex-husband orchestrated a situation in which my sixteen year old son was alienated from his family… If I had known, I would have stopped it."

"But he didn't stop this," Carla snaps back, "My daughters were given the responsibilities of a baby all on their own - he could have clearly seen how wrong this was."

"I can't believe this," Elliot hisses.

"Elliot," Grace snaps.

"No, Mom…. I am sick of getting crap for those years," he snaps back at his mother, "Listen Carla, I thought being separated from them was what I wanted. I thought I was ok with this… but eventually, I manned up and figured out what I wanted. I love your daughter… and I love your grandkids and I am done apologizing for screwing up when I was a kid."

He moves out of the room, and I am instantly nervous as to how Mom will take his outburst. I turn back to her and she gives me a tight smile. "I'll go check on him," Grace says as she follows behind.

"So…. is Ana watching the kids?" Mom asks nervously.

I nod, "Last I called, she and Hayden are watching Breakfast at Tiffany's."

She smiles bright and shakes her head. "When Ana was five and you were three, I watched that movie with you two for the first time…. and then Ana requested it every Saturday since…" I can't help but smile either, no wonder Ana loves that movie so much.

"That's not really a kid's movie," Chriatian points out.

Carla pretends to be offended, "It's a classic Christian… you better not say that around your wife…"

Christian only nods and smiles.

**An hour later, we depart from the safe house. **Mom and I gave last minute hugs and promises to see each other again. This won't be the last time I see my mother, and I am relieved that more questions can be answered in the future. Besides Elliot's freak out, I thought this was a successful meeting. As I said goodbye to Mom, I also said an awkward goodbye to my "Step Father". It will be interesting to get to know him better in the future.

On the drive home, Elliot seems to still be agitated by his conversation with my mom.

"You ok?" I ask.

"No," he snaps, "I'm so fucking sick of this bullshit."

"I know…. I know…" I say, staring out the window.

He looks at me for several seconds and shakes his head. "Why aren't you defending me?"

"What?"

"You didn't say anything to your Mom, right? And now – you're acting like this shit is no big deal," he grumbles.

"Elliot…."

"Why are you acting like this Gen?" he asks, seeming to be more confused than angry.

"I keep thinking, if this was Hayden in this situation – I think I would feel the same way. I'd be pissed too…" I tell him honestly.

He shakes his head, "Baby, I get that. But you didn't even tell her how great we're doing, and how right and meant to be we are…. all you did was nod and smile."

"We have three kids, and we have been together for so long. She should see that…." I tell him.

He shakes his head and moves his hand from mine. "My own wife doesn't even attempt to defend me," he mutters to himself and I feel my heart sink.


	20. Green Light

**A/N – Ok, sorry for the delay. Life has been pretty crazy…. I am glad this chapter is finally done – I am always anxious to push chapters out. I hope you enjoy!**

**Enjoy and please let me know what you think! I don't own FSOG **

**Chapter 20 – The Green Light **

**Ana**

** Baby girl is passed out after her morning feeding, and I am left with a quiet morning on the couch with my daughter.** I take in a deep breath and try to lull myself back to sleep. It's tough – Christian is still getting ready for work, and I have my doctor's appointment today in town. I can't sleep when I know I have to be somewhere. I'm always afraid I'll oversleep and miss my intended activity.

After six weeks of torture, today is the day. I am going in for my doctor's appointment to see if I am ready for sexual intercourse with my sexually frustrated husband. At first, Christian was Mr. Cool about the whole sex-less situation, and I was almost insulted by his behavior. Then, when Jo and I visited Daddy at work last week, I noticed a star on his calendar….

** "What's that?" I ask, pointing to his calendar while seated in his lap. **His assistants are cooing over our daughter in the lobby, and I am thankful for the alone time with my husband.

He looks down to where I am pointing and takes in a deep breath. "That will be the fifth best day of my life…."

I cock my head, and he smirks. "Fifth"

He puts up his fingers and begins counting down. "Fourth best – when you agreed to run off with me to Bora Bora, Third Best – When you finally married me in Bora Bora…"

"The Bora Bora wedding is only number three?"

"Just wait…." He insists authoritatively in my ear. He leaves me a small kiss and continues. "Number two…. Our official wedding in front of our friends and family…. And number one of course – is little nugget in the next room. My little angel…. Our family."

I feel the oxygen leave my lungs as Christian gazes at me adoringly. God, I love him and he is, for some unknown reason, insanely in love with me. I don't know how he still deals with me, my selfish bullshit gets in the way more than it should.

"So what's number five?" I ask as I try to control my breathing. He is too damn irresistible when he is like this. He leans up and kisses me on the forehead.

"The end of the drought, Mrs. Grey…."

I snort, "Oh, of course that's number five…"

He smiles mischievously and kisses me again, "It's in good company….. Number six is the first time we ever had sex, and number seven is when we first met."

"The day you fell in love with me and my crap…" I shake my head.

"We both have crap, my love," he tells me, sincerity shining through, "It's been a nice change of pace to deal with yours over mine."

I lean on his shoulder and I sigh. "That's easy for you to say," I say as he snickers.

"We're a team Anastasia, even more so now with Jo. You don't have to deal with this alone."

I sit up and grab his face in my hands and kiss him tenderly. "I love you so much…. I don't know what I'd do without you…"

"And I love you…" he says back as his office door opens. Andrea's face appears at his door, and I hear a piercing cry out in the lobby. Alone time is officially over. Miss Grey is just as demanding as her father.

"I'm on my way Andrea…."

**My husband's appearance in the living room knocks me out of my recent memories. **He smiles at us as he takes a seat next to me. He kisses me tenderly and then kisses Jo on the forehead.

"Can I hold her before I go to work?" he whispers, hoping his low whisper won't wake our sleeping daughter.

I nod and very carefully hand over our sleeping child to her father. We somehow manage not to wake her and Christian slips another small kiss on her tiny head. Once she is secured in his muscular arms, he moves closer, wrapping his free arm around me.

I snicker quietly, "You're very graceful Mr. Grey, I wouldn't be able to hold her and you at the same time…"

He nods, "I love that I can hold all of you at once." He leans over to kiss me, and then takes a long contented sigh. I gaze at my husband, and I am awed by how calm he is in this moment, how peaceful, and how content.

"Baby?" he says, still gazing at our daughter.

"Yes Christian?" I ask, my mouth dry.

"I'm…. never…. Ever…. Going to leave you or her. I just cant."

Confused by why he his saying this, I can't help but feel my jaw drop. "I know you wouldn't… why would you think that?"

"You weren't the only one who was left Ana…." He says, his voice hoarse. I feel my heart break. I know what he means; we aren't too different him and I. I'm always so focused on my crap, we never talk about him, and I didn't realize my mother's reappearance could possibly affect him the way it has. He was left too by a mother too obsessed with drugs and sex to ever love and nurture the beautiful child she was blessed with.

"Baby…. I'll never leave you…." I tell him as he gives me a wry look, "…. Again."

He snickers and kisses me. "We'll be better for her… we have to be."

He holds me close and I take in a deep breath. "And we will."

**When I call Christian after my appointment, he isn't as sentimental as he was before. **"You've just made me the happiest man alive," he snickers as I carry the baby to the SUV. His voice and his anticipated intentions send shivers down my spine.

"So what's the plan for tonight?" I ask, "Besides fucking the mother of your child…"

He snickers and I hear a tone of mischief in his voice, "When you get home…. There is a locked drawer."

My eyebrows perk up. "A drawer?"

"The key is in my office. There is a drawer in our bedroom that you'll need to open…"

I huff in frustration, "What drawer, what are you talking about?"

He snickers as I try not to have a panic attack. I love Christian, and I desperately want to make love to him tonight, but I am nervous. I don't know what he'll want right off the bat, and I am nervous that I will be too "out of practice" to give it to him. I know a list of basics that he'll be expecting so I definitely have a to-do list to prepare me for my evening.

"I've been planning, wishing, anticipating, and hoping this day would come…." He says as I am filled with desire and anxiety – I had no idea they could go hand in hand, "Let's just say, I've started a collection."

Good God, he is killing me. I am so nervous, I can barely think straight. When Jo starts whimpering, I find a quick out from this conversation.

"Our daughter is crying…. I've gotta go," I tell him blankly.

He sighs, "All right… give her a kiss from Daddy."

I hang up the phone and direct Sawyer to drive us to the café where my sister is meeting me. I haven't had a lot of time with her recently, and I am happy for a moment to see her. She is bringing Ireland with her, and I am thrilled that our little girls will have some bonding time. Even though they are babies, we want to start them early. They need to be best friends – Genevieve and I are expecting nothing less.

When I step out, Sawyer helps me gather Josephine's belongings. This has been my first real adventure out with my newborn, so I am nervous about the logistics of everything. Genevieve tried her best to ease my concerns, being a mother of three – she has done this a lot.

Sawyer escorts me inside to where my sister is seated with Ireland. She smiles, brown hair rolled up into an artfully created bun, and her brown sundress accentuating her tan skin. I hate how beautiful my sister is. Elliot is a lucky man. I am dressed similarly, but I don't think I can ever pull off "effortless" like she can.

"Hey sweet thang…" she jokes as she hugs me. She kneels over to talk to her niece, "Hey beautiful girl…. Geez, you're as gorgeous as your parents."

"Ireland is beautiful too," I say as I look over at my niece. Looks like Gen will have another daughter on her hands who looks identical to Elliot. Hayden is practically his female twin, and Ireland is already very identical to her big sister. Even though it took three years for me to find out the identity of Hayden's father, I always knew that Hayden looked like her Dad.

"I know," she beams as the waiter takes our drink order.

We sit and chat comfortably, and I realize I have a lot to say to my sister. She met with our mother last week, and I feel like I should ask how it went. I don't know how to feel about any of this. I want to support Genevieve, but I need to withdraw myself from my mother. To keep my sanity, I can't associate myself with her right now.

Before I even open my mouth, it's like Gen knows. "She misses you Ana…." She says, shaking her head, "She loves you, and she was crushed when I told her you weren't there. She hates this. She hated having to leave us."

"Can we change the subject," I blurt out. Genevieve sighs and nods. I want other topics, I need other topics – I can't talk about her. "Tonight is the night," I blurt out and I see a smile fill her face.

She laughs, "Have you thought about how you are going to re-introduce yourself to the hot body of Christian Grey? And how you'll re-introduce him to yours…"

"With a lot of wine…"

"And lube…." She inserts and I feel my face flush.

"Jesus Gen," I huff and she smiles wide.

"You get red so easy…. It is so much fun to mess with you."

She laughs and then suddenly her face goes cold. Her features turn pale and I see anxiety wrack her eyes. I turn around to see who she is looking at when a dark figure walks up to our table. His hair is dark, his eyes are blue, and he looks like he has lived in a tanning bed his entire life.

"Garrett?" she asks, shocked.

"Genevieve Steele, you are looking …. Good," he says, admiring my sister, "And who is this?" His eyes move up and down my figure, and I feel instantly grossed out. The man is good looking, but I had a feeling he undressed women with his eyes, and his hands, on a regular basis.

"This is my sister, Garrett…." She tells him, batting her eye lashes. I really want to lean over and slap her.

"Oh I remember her," he says, offering his hand to me, "You've mentioned her before…. It's good to see you… "

I don't take his hand and only nod as they continue to talk. "What have you been up to Gare?"

"I just moved back to Seattle…. New job," he says, still smiling at my sister proactively, "Didn't realize I'd be seeing old friends almost instantaneously."

She giggles, and I feel my stomach lurch in disgust. Is she really flirting with this guy? Lucky for my stomach, Ireland decides it is time to remind Mommy where she is. Her cries signals both set of eyes to look over at Genevieve's newborn daughter.

"Oh wow," Garrett gapes, "I didn't realize you were a mother for a second time…. damn, your oldest daughter must be eleven by now."

"Thirteen," I snap at him and Genevieve blushes.

"Actually, I'm a mother of three…. My son is with his father today."

"Oh cool, who'd you marry?" he says as he eyes Genevieve as she pulls Ireland out of her carrier. Surprisingly, Josephine hasn't made a peep since we entered the restaurant. Hopefully this is a sign that she'll give Mommy a good day.

"Elliot Grey," she says immediately.

"Oh," his eyes widen with shock, "If I remember correctly he was done with you…."

I look over at Gen with surprise, and she gives me a sad smile. Who the fuck is this guy? His phone rings before I can find out anything new, and he quickly excuses himself from the table.

"Who was that Gen?" I hiss as she shakes her head.

"Garrett Smith…" she says uncomfortably, "When I got the six week clear after Hayden was born…. We…. Um…. Well… Fucked…."

I feel the ice in my stomach and I shake my head, remembering her fling with that douchebag. I don't know much about that idiot or his intentions, but I know that he is disgusting and better stay clear away from my little sister.

"Stay away from him," I warn her.

She nods, incredulous, "Of course."

**I don't know how it happened, but this day somehow went from unpleasant to ridiculous.** Sitting in my office, rocking my crying daughter – I regret ever stepping into work. I have two more weeks left until I am scheduled to come back to work, but unfortunately like my husband – I am a control freak when it comes to the business I have grown.

I couldn't help it, Giselle called me in a panic after my lunch date with Genevieve. She has control over the gallery until my return and she needed help. Fernando and Jose Reyes are showing their work in our gallery this month. They are a legendary artistic duo, and I am trying to remind myself that we are lucky to have them. They are _very_ fiery and passionate lovers, and Giselle is having issues controlling the pair of them.

When I arrived to the gallery with Josephine and Sawyer in tow, the two lovers were in a screaming match over a statue - a very, offensive, statute. Let's just say, Jose loved and still loves his work of art, and Fernando was pissed. Fernando was pissed mostly because he did not like that Jose created it. It depicts two, very hung men in the throes of passion. Apparently, Jose is in this statue, but Fernando is not – scandalous. Jesus, I know Christian never has to deal with shit like this.

Of course, as soon as I walked into the gallery with my newborn daughter, she freaked out by the sound of two brawling gay men. I handed Josephine over to Sawyer and requested he take her to my office. As soon as they were gone, I issued a warning to the brawling lovers.

"If you would like to display your work in this gallery from now and in the future – you're going to stop fucking screaming in my gallery and you will quietly join me in my office while I calm the newborn that you upset…. "I screamed, not recognizing my own voice, "If you can't handle that…. You can take your work and your inappropriate statue, and you can get the hell out of here…"

Hours later, the two men enter my office as soon as Josephine's cries begin to subside. Giselle follows them both with a massive smirk filling her exotic face. Giselle and I know how to handle outrageous yet over the top talent – we're pros at this.

"No one will speak above a whisper if you want to see another day," I hiss as both men nod, "Now I know why you are quarrelling and you want to place blame on the other, but I don't care." Both men try to object and point to the other, but I hold up my hand – asking them to not speak. They nod as I continue, "But, I have decided that if you want the sculpture in this exhibit…. It can be moved to the private room in the back, but you must come up with a decision that is not so damn disruptive. In the future gentleman, if you would like to be considered serious artists, it is best not to make the boss's daughter angry…"

I point to Josephine and both men nod. We go over final business arrangements and they exit my office, practically holding hands.

"Well done, Mrs. Grey…." Giselle whispers, "You are already warmed up for when you take the gallery back over in a couple weeks…."I nod and feel my anxiety level sky rocket. Another thing I have to worry about – assimilating back into my job.

From there, I pack up my daughter and attend to my ever growing to do list. Could this day get any more stressful?

**As a thank you for taking Josephine for the evening, I have decided to excuse Mrs. Taylor up until Mr. Grey comes home. **This means, I am in charge of cooking. Under normal situations, I am an excellent cook, but with a needy newborn practically hanging off me, this diminishes my abilities to an extent.

"Baby girl," I plead, "Stop crying so Mommy can cook…."

I feel bad as soon as Mrs. Taylor joins me in the kitchen. "Do you think she possibly has colic?" she grabs my daughter from me.

"We both had appointments this morning," I tell her, "Wouldn't the doctor have been able to notice?"

She shrugs and bounces Josephine around the room. She seems to calm as I try to quickly finish our dinner for the evening. With my sister lunch and my unexpected visit to the gallery, I am rushing to finish everything before Christian comes home.

I also went shopping at the supermarket for our dinner this evening. Again, I wanted to make sure Mrs. Taylor understood how much I appreciated her keeping the baby for the evening, so I wanted to do this on my own. I also got adventurous and tried looking for lingerie while I was out. I found something that would work for this evening, but as I was purchasing it, I suddenly got very worried about leaking breast milk against expensive lace – I should have done more research. I also remembered that Mr. Sex on legs was out of lube, so I embarrassingly purchased this on my own. I know Christian would laugh if he shopped with me today. I'm married to Christian Grey, I work in the art world, I just witnessed a statue of two gay men going at it, but little things like that still embarrass me.

When I see that Christian is home, I want to bend over and cry. It's not done. I have been working so hard for hours, and this damn pasta is still rock solid and his cake is still gooey.

"I'll take the baby," Mrs. Taylor says calmly, "You worry about Mr. Grey."

"I've pumped at every free moment," I tell her, "Bottle should be in the upstairs refrigerator." She nods and shuffles off.

I take a look at my reflection in the mirror and inwardly groan. I am in sweats, my hair is a mess, and I look like a woman who has been trying way too hard. I hear Christian's steps down the hall and a big wave a failure falls over me.

He enters the room with his crooked smile. I try to smile, and give him a peck on the cheek.

"Welcome home Mr. Grey…" I say with a sigh as he takes in the scene in front of him.

"You ok, baby?" he asks, concern laced in his tone. Suddenly, we are interrupted by a hiss. We both turn around and steam is flying from my pot of noodles, and water begins to bubble over.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me," I scream as I make a bee-line for the kitchen. Christian grabs my shoulders and pulls me back.

"Absolutely not," he hisses as he moves around the kitchen. The fire alarm picks this moment to sound, and I hear a loud scream come from my daughter upstairs. I watch in disbelief as Christian calms the roaring kitchen. The man has never stepped foot in here before, but of course knows how to stop our errant stove.

He fans the steam out of the room, trying to get the fire alarm to stop. Mrs. Taylor rushes to the balcony with Josephine in her arms. "Is everything ok?" she yells through the madness.

"I've got it stopped, but keep her away from this," Christian yells up at her. Mrs. Taylor nods and continues to calm my daughter down from all the excitement.

Finally, after Taylor and Sawyer step in, the insanity is done. Christian looks up at me with a deep sigh and shakes his head, "Baby, I didn't realize you'd be burning down the house tonight too…."

That's when I lose it. Tears instantly burst from my eyes and I storm out of the room. Christian follows behind me as I stomp to our bedroom. "Baby, what's wrong?" Christian asks as I crash my face into our pillows, "I'm sorry about the burning down the house comment…. I didn't realize you'd react like this…"

"This whole day," I sob, shaking my head, "It is just back to back shit keeping me from giving you the best night ever…. I can't get our daughter to stop crying…. I can't make you a damn dinner on my own…. I even bought lube, but fuck it – I look like shit."

When I see a smirk cross his face, I chunk another pillow at him. "Ana…" he says as he picks both pillows up and plops them next to me, "It's fine…. I'm just upset I wasn't there to see you buy lube."

He is sitting next to me so it is easy for me to hit him in the shoulder. "Jerk."

He snorts, "Baby…. you're being way too hard on yourself."

"I just burned noodles... I've never burned noodles," I sigh.

"Hey," he says, grabbing the sides of my face, "Listen, from the beginning – we knew having a baby would be an adjustment, and I know things are off kilter right now, but we need to adapt. Tonight didn't have to be picture perfect… I have you, and I have her – that is all the perfect I need in my life."

"How are you so calm?" I snap, "How are you so sweet and understanding….? Who the hell are you?"

He laughs, "I am adapting, baby. The control freak in me is starting to understand that I have the two most uncontrollable women living under my roof…. I think I am starting to get how to deal with the pair of you."

I snort, "God, I just wanted a romantic night with my husband…."

"It can wait…" he says with a surprisingly convincing tone, "I want you to be comfortable with this… I know we can't jump back into the sex life we had."

"Then what about your damn drawer," I say, pointing to the still locked drawer across the room.

He shakes his head, "It has what you think it has in there…. But Ana, I was kidding. We'll work up to that…. Obviously, I shouldn't have joked about sex toys tonight…. We'll get there eventually, don't stress."

He leaves a kiss on my forehead and moves to the door. Damn, his ass looks good in those trousers. He turns, "I'm going to go check on our girl…. You take a bath, get calm, read a book. Try not to stress. I love you." I am bemused, seriously – why is he being this sweet? I am not saying that my husband is a monster, but he has had to deal with a lot of my crazy bullshit since the baby was born…. I thought his patience would run out eventually.

I step down from the bed and pick up his IPad from the side table. Mine originally got destroyed in the car accident, and I haven't thought to buy a new one since. I uploaded all of my books to his anyway, I am fine with sharing. When I unlock it, I am immediately brought to an article: _"Sex and the new Dad" _

I skim the article, and I can't help but smile. He researched how to make love to me post baby. It's really very sweet, and I can't contain my smile. I click around some more, and I am taken to his notes section. I feel my mouth gape open when I read his first note – he took notes over the article. He's been planning this night too, but not in the way I was expecting.

I feel myself smile and place the IPad back down. Forget all the bullshit, I suddenly feel very in the mood….

**Christian **

** After rocking Josephine to sleep, I make my way back downstairs. **Ana is in bed when I enter our bedroom, so I start slipping off my clothing. Looks like tonight is done for, she is asleep, and waking her up after her stressful evening seems inconsiderate.

I need a cold shower. I have been looking forward to this night for weeks, and I have to wait another twelve hours for my next opportunity. When I enter the bathroom, I feel myself get hard. She took a bath, and the whole room smells of her. I wish I could roll around in that smell instead of being alone in my shower made for two.

Frustrated and annoyed - I decide I don't want a shower if Ana can't join me. I don't take many baths; I usually don't have the time. Tonight, I doubt I'll be able to sleep; I can't stop thinking about the night I had been envisioning in my head all day. Ana likes baths, and they usually calm her down. Whatever, I'll try it.

I run the water and I begin to strip off my boxers. I feel the water get warm, so once the tub is full, I step in. Ana usually adds oils and scents and whatever girly shit she can find. I decide to leave it alone and just sit. After several minutes of closing my eyes and trying to relax, I feel my patience wane. This is why guys don't take baths without naked women – baths are boring. As I stand up, I decide to go for a run instead… this was useless.

That is when I see her. Ana is standing at the foot of the bath, and all she is wearing is a smile. She seems to be amused with the fact that I am in her tub. She motions for me sit back down and I do so obediently. She shakes her head as she feels the water – obviously this isn't warm enough for her. She runs the water and begins looking for bathtub items. I watch her naked body roam our bathroom as she begins adding different items to the mix. I have no idea what the fuck she is doing, but watching her naked breasts and delectable ass is causing my mini-me to watch her too.

Finally, she quietly joins me in the tub, smirk still present on her gorgeous face. My wife is insanely beautiful. Ana in her natural state is a sight to behold. Not a lot of women are able to pull of what comes naturally to my wife.

She joins me in the bathtub, and sinks closer to me. She doesn't make complete contact with my erection, but I can feel it digging into her – asking her permission to be buried deep inside her. I run my hands through her hair as she rubs her nose against mine. The contact of her skins burns me with desire, and I feel myself starting to wake up. Everything is becoming attuned to her as she continues to run her hands down my skin. Her finger tips lightly trace the outline of my chest, and I take in a deep breath.

I want her, now, but I continue to wait. Several weeks back, I decided I'd go at her pace. I'd let her pick the speed, I'd let her determine our first several sexual encounters. I want her to enjoy this, and if she's enjoying it – I am a given.

Her lips find my ear lobe as she lightly tugs. I shift under her, surprised and aroused by the sudden contact. I feel her smile on my skin as she works her way down my neck and then she licks the entire way up my neck. A groan escapes my lips and I see her smile.

"Do that to me," she whispers.

I obediently move to her ear, and I follow her path across her skin. As my tongue moves up her neck, tasting her perfect skin, her lips intercept me and our mouths mold together. _Wait for her, Grey, wait for her to make the move – don't give in too early._ I repeat that back to myself, in hopes that I can keep control as she writhes against my body. Suddenly, I feel her grab for the base of my penis. She moves me to her entrance and she gazes into my eyes.

I try to talk, but her hand on me is distracting. "At your pace baby," I practically moan out, "If you aren't comfortable, we can stop."

She nods as she moves herself over me. The feeling is so exquisite, I can barely breathe. She works slowly, and her eyes are clenched. I almost ask if she is ok when a moan escapes her lips. She rubs her hands up and down my chest and another moan works its way out of her plump lips.

"Do I feel good baby?" I whisper as she whimpers, "Because you make me feel good… you always make me feel good."

She moans as I wrap myself around her. I need to touch every part of her. I am reminded by how much I love her body, and how much I need to feel her.

I don't want her here. I want her in our bed. "You're already wrapped tight around me baby, but I am going to need you to wrap tighter," I whisper in her ear as she moans. Her arms move tight around me, and her legs quickly follow suit. I lift her up out of the tub, and she squeals with laughter. I kiss her forehead as we move to the bedroom.

I lay her down, and seek the attention of those beautiful blue eyes. "I hope Jo gets those beautiful blue eyes…" I whisper as she wraps her arms tighter around me, "Jesus, I love you…"

Ana's eyes well up in tears as she points to the bed side table. "You did research," she chokes out, "You're the most thoughtful and considerate husband…"

As I lean down and kiss her, I move deep inside of her and instantly we're lost.


	21. Things aren't always as they seem

**A/N – We're making a two week jump, I don't mention the jump specifically so I thought I'd mention it here. I don't own FSOG, but the storylines and the extra characters are mine. Please review and let me know what you think! **

**Chapter 21 – Things aren't always as they seem **

**Genevieve**

** When I hear banging in my kitchen, I jump out of bed quickly. **

"Gen, what the fuck?" Elliot huffs as I quickly dress. I realize that I accidently smacked him in my rush to get up.

"Something is going on in the kitchen," I say as I move to the door, "Fuck, Elliot… did the baby cry at all this morning?"

He sighs, "I was up with her at some point and I haven't heard from her since." I didn't even realize he woke up with her. Shit – I really am the worst wife ever.

I turn and walk to our kitchen. When I enter the doorway, I feel my mouth hit the floor. "Hey Mom," Hayden says cheerfully. I cannot believe what I am seeing. Hayden is busily cooking as she watches Ireland in her baby chair. As I look further into the dining room, my son is peacefully eating and grinning at me.

"What the…"

"Rocky," Hayden chastises, "Eat your food and don't play."

He grumbles at his sister. "I want more syrup!" he squeals at Hayden.

"No way Jose," she says, "Daddy is going to work, and Mommy has errands to run which means I have to watch you this morning, and I am not dealing with you when you've had that much sugary syrup."

"Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?" I ask as she giggles.

"Can't I do something nice for my family?" she asks as I continue to stand in my kitchen stunned.

"Good job Hayden," Elliot asks as he enters the kitchen. He picks up Ireland and carries her to the kitchen table. "Baby, sit down," Elliot says to me as he places my daughter in my arms. Rocky is still giggling, and I am so confused. Hayden isn't a devil child, but what thirteen year old girl gets up early to make breakfast and take care of her younger siblings during the summer?

"Daddy," Hayden says, "Help me…"

He nods and follows her to the kitchen. Rocky giggles and I turn to stare down my baby boy. "Rocky…. What are they doing?"

My five year old shakes his head and grins brightly. I lean over to give him a small kiss and he giggles more. Before I try to ask him more questions, Hayden and Elliot start singing.

"Happy Birthday to you…"

"It's not my birthday!" I protest

"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Mommy!"

"Guys, it's not my birthday!"

"Happy Birthday to you!" they finish as a plate of smiley face pancakes with a lit candle is placed in front of me.

Hayden and Elliot both plant kisses on my cheeks as I shake my head. "It's not my birthday."

"Your birthday is Friday," Hayden informs me, "You ALWAYS have "birthday week" with me, and Rocky and we've never returned the favor."

Elliot smiles at me adoringly, and I've never felt worse for not talking to him. Things are still strained between me and my husband, and I have done absolutely nothing to help the problem. We have continued to stay distant, and I know he has had enough. I feel awful, I feel awful for ignoring him for two weeks, and not giving him the attention he deserves. I move my lips towards his and he meets me halfway, giving me the sweetest of kisses.

"Ew Mommy," Rocky wines from the side. We both smile and I return my attention back to Hayden.

"Thank you so much baby girl," I say as she hugs me, "This is so thoughtful."

"It was Dad's idea," she says, shrugging sheepishly, "It was actually kind of fun…."

"I'm so glad…," I say as I look for a fork. Elliot hands one to me, and I begin to dig in.

"Happy Birthday week my love," he says as he kisses me, "I'm so happy you were born."

I giggle as Hayden rolls her eyes. "Gross."

**About an hour later, Hayden sweetly volunteered to get Rocky ready for the day, leaving me alone with Elliot. **As he eats, he softly strokes Ireland's small face and kisses her small cheeks. He finally leans over to kiss me on my forehead and sighs deeply. I need to say something, I've been neglecting him, and I need to make this right.

"El?"

"Yes Gen…"

I take in a deep breath, "I'm sorry for not defending you to my mother."

He shakes his head, "I'm sorry for losing my cool…. And I am sorry for not talking to you after."

"It's been a weird couple of weeks…. Let's promise to not let it get weird again."

I feel his nod, "I agree."

"I should have said something…"

He sighs, "I was just nervous. You have your mother back in your life, and I am just slightly terrified that my shit past will come back and haunt me – like it always seems to do. I don't want to lose you over something she has said, and how she feels about me. I know that's irrational…. But I have worked way too hard on this relationship with you for your mother to come along and fuck it all up…."

"I get it…. Your dad isn't fond of me either."

He snorts, "Baby, I don't care about my Dad. He's long gone, enjoying life with the blonde bimbo he found while roaming Los Angeles…. Your Mom means something to you, and I hate that she hates me."

"I'm going to see her today," I tell him, "I'll talk to her. You and the kids – you're my life and she needs to accept that."

I feel him smile and then suddenly he groans. "And of course, Christian is the chosen son-in-law. She loves him…"

I snicker at him, "Well of course…. Everybody loves Christian."

He shakes his head, "He's not so great. He used to get in a lot of trouble as a kid…. As soon as he turns into Mr. CEO – he is automatically Mr. Perfect."

I almost want to laugh because I know this isn't the case. Christian Grey is definitely the opposite of perfect, but Elliot doesn't know this. I hope Christian tells him one day what he has really gone through. It wouldn't hurt them to be closer.

"I doubt that," I say as I kiss him, "I love you. Thank you for my birthday breakfast."

"I love you too," he says as Ireland starts to cry, "And I love you my littlest girl…. Don't worry about munchkin, I've got her today. Hayden is babysitting Rocky… and you have the morning with your sister before you see your Mom…."

"Seriously?" I ask, kissing him again.

"Happy Birthday baby…." he smiles at me, and I can't help but smile back.

**When I make it to the spa, my sister is already getting a pedicure. **

"Way to start without me jerk…" I say as she snickers.

"You were taking way too long," Anastasia says as she leans over for a hug, "Happy Birthday Gen."

"Thank you…. My family is way too good to me," I say as I sit in a seat next to her.

"Got that right," she laughs, "Elliot and Hayden have been in cahoots."

I nod, "Good…. I am glad they're back to being cool and not fighting all the time."

Ana looks at me knowingly, and I turn to meet her eye line. "So Elliot and I have been talking."

"Jesus, what could you two have been possibly talking about…?"

"He has just mentioned," Ana says, trying to stay calm for my sake, "That you two haven't been talking…"

I sigh, "Ana…. We're fine."

"Are you sure… because this is not like you and Elliot, you two are the freaks who have freaky sex in public places…."

I look down at our pedicurists and I can tell they are trying not to laugh. "We are… relationships go through problems, but we're adapting," I tell her.

"After that whole Kate debacle all those years back, you two have been solid. It just makes me nervous for you…." She tells me, "Does Mom have anything to do with this?"

One of our pedicurist snorts and Ana and I both look down at her. Lana, the woman doing Ana's toes, shakes her head, "Mothers will do that to you. Mine hasn't stopped hating my husband since we got married…. And for stupid reasons."

"And how have you handled it?" I ask as we both stare at her.

"That bitch has been divorced three times," she says with a cackle, "I've been with him for ten years…. the woman is delusional if she thinks I am going to take advice from her."

Ana snickers to herself and I can't help, but shake my head. "So…" I say to Ana, hoping to change subjects, "How's work going? How's the sex life?"

Her face beams and I can't help but be happy for her. "Work is blah, I miss Josephine. But the sex is…."

"Good?"

"Every night…. In every way… Ever since I found out I was pregnant, we haven't been completely ourselves," she says with a deep contented sigh, "Christian and Ana are back, and it has been awesome."

Our pedicurists are snickering as Ana smiles smugly. "So you're good?"

"I'm good," she says, eyeing me with worry, "Please tell me you're good too."

I nod, realizing what I need to do to make things right with Elliot. "I will be…"

"You will be?"

"Just trust me A…"

"Ok G…," Ana says with a snicker, "By the way, Christian has been talking about a vacation. Once we feel like we can leave the babies, he thinks we should all spend a weekend at Christian's beach houses… just like the old days."

"Geez, I don't know if I'll ever be ok with leaving Ireland…"

Ana laughs, "Christian is so sure that we can make this happen…. And you know how Christian gets when he gets an idea in his head…"

We both cackle as we continue our pedicures.

**I am not scheduled to see my mother for another thirty minutes so I know I have enough time for a detour. **I need to stop this. Things have been innocent up to this point - we've spent the last two weeks talking, and catching up. I know he wants more from me, I know if we keep going like this – I am going to do something that I regret. I love Elliot, and I don't want to hurt him.

I step out of the car, and walk into the coffee shop that we have been meeting at this week. As I enter the building, I see him clearly in the back. Garrett Smith is as beautiful as he was when we hooked up thirteen years ago. He was a validation for me – even though I was a mother, guys like him still wanted to fuck me. Shit, I really need to let him go. He also seems to be still as interested in me as he was back then, something that I need to stop now.

"Gen," he says, his blue eyes shining, "It's good to see you."

"Hey," I say as he we hug, "It's good to see you again…"

"I already ordered your regular," he says as he searches through his bag, "And… I remembered your birthday was on Friday."

He very suddenly pulls out a small box and hands it to me. I am in shock as he sets in front of me. "Garrett…."

"I know we've only been talking for two weeks, but it's been great Gen…."

I push the box back over to him and take in a deep breath. "Garrett…. We can't keep doing this."

Panic spreads across his face and he shakes his head, "Does he know? Did he say something to you?"

"He doesn't know and that's the problem…, " I say as I shake my head.

"Come on Gen," he pleads, "It's not that big of a deal – can't your man handle you catching up with an old friend…"

"Is that what this is?" I ask him, "Is it really just innocent meetings with an old friend."

His whole body sags and he shakes his head. "No…" he says softly, "It's not."

"I have to go…" I tell him as I take a step away from him. I begin walking away, hoping this is the end of everything.

"Gen," he calls out as I head for the door. I stop and he grabs my hand. He pulls me close and I sink into his body as he lightly kisses me. Our mouths move together softly and before I realize what is happening, I push him away. As Garrett walks off, I spot two grey eyes from across the room. His expression is angry, and his eyes are blistering at the man who just kissed me.

"Christian…."

"I'll be right back," he sneers. As he heads off, I realize he is moving straight toward Garrett. Shit.

**A/N2- Next chapter, I hope to explore more of Ana and Christian becoming "getting back to it"…. Lol. **


	22. The Fallout Revisited

**A/N – I don't own FSOG, but the new characters and the insanity belongs to me. **

**Chapter 22 – The Fallout**

**Genevieve**

** Christian walks past me and saunters over to Garrett.** "Alright Smith," he snaps, while grabbing his collar, "What the fuck are you doing with my sister-in-law?"

"We're old friends Grey," he coughs, obviously in pain over the position Christian has put him in, "I can talk to an old friend…"

"It sure didn't look like you were talking," he snaps, "And you're lying about being old friends…. I know you."

"Wait, what?" I ask, confused to what direction this conversation is taking, "You guys know each other?"

"Mr. Smith is the opposition to one of my Seattle area businesses," he says, still staring him down, "I wouldn't be surprised if he was trying to get to you for some type of edge in the competition."

"Is that what this was?" I ask him, "Just a way to get to my brother-in-law."

Christian lets him go and he sinks down into his seat. "It was a happy coincidence."

I shake my head and turn to walk away. "I'd like to speak with you in the back Smith," Christian says to Garrett as he turns to me, "Don't leave. I need to talk to you too." I nod and obediently re-take my seat.

**Twenty minutes later, Garrett comes out of the back looking sick. **I can't help, but wonder what Christian said, or did, while I was waiting. Christian finds me and I feel his eyes burn into my skull.

"Come with me."

I nod and follow him out of the café. He steps into a waiting SUV and I take the seat next to him. "Drive until I tell you to stop Taylor," he barks at his right hand man.

"Christian…."

"What the fuck are you doing, Gen?" Christian snaps, "Are you trying to kill Elliot."

"I was stopping it," I confess.

His eyes go wide, "Stopping what?"

"We've just had been meeting to talk and catch up…. Nothing more."

"It did not look like that to me," he practically yells, "It looked like you two are well acquainted with each other."

I take in a deep breath and try to stop my tears, "It's been a while since we've been that acquainted with each other…"

His eyes go wide, "So are you telling me that you have been having "innocent" meetings with a man you used to fuck behind your husband's back…"

"It started as one innocent meeting, and then it just kind of escalated….," I say, trying to defend myself.

"If Ana did that…. If Ana met with that Ryan fucker behind my back, I would contemplate murder," he says, each word burning as he speaks, "Do you purposely want to hurt Elliot?"

"No," I snap back.

"Then why are you acting like this…."

"I don't know," I tell him, "I didn't mean for things to get to this point."

He shakes his head, "You need to figure your shit out because my brother loves you. And he loves being a father, and this is going to devastate him…."

I suddenly realize he is taking me home. "I am supposed to see my mom."

"No, you're going straight home," he snaps, "And don't fucking argue with me, you're telling him what is going on. You're so much smarter than this Genevieve, I refuse to let you live in stupidity."

After minutes of silence, we are finally pulled up to my house. Elliot's car is parked out front, and I feel myself fill with dread. Christian places a hand on my back and I turn to look at him.

"He loves you," Christian says, gazing at me sadly, "Don't hurt him."

**When I walk into our home, Elliot is standing in the kitchen – eyeing Christian's SUV with confusion. **

"I thought you were meeting with your mother?" he asks as I grab his hand.

I feel water fill my eyes, "Sit down."

His eyebrows rise as he takes in my expression. "Why did Christian bring you home? What the hell is going on Gen?"

"Elliot, sit, please…." I urge as he follows me into the dining room. We sit and he stares at me, waiting for me to talk first. "Is the baby asleep?"

He nods, "And Rocky and Hayden are at the zoo with Mom."

I feel my heart squeeze inside my chest. It finally hits me that he could take all of this away from me if he wanted. "Christian found me today at a coffee shop," I begin, really unsure of how to say this, "I saw an old friend a couple weeks back…. He wanted to meet with me."

"An old friend?" he asks, his voice tense, "What kind of an old friend?"

"Garrett Smith…." I say, my voice small.

His face goes pale. He knows who Garrett Smith is, they went to school together. After Garrett and I hooked up, he told his whole school, Elliot included, about our hookup. Garrett has since apologized to me for what he did. Soon after that incident, Ana and I moved to Boston.

"When have you had time to see him?" Elliot asks, his stern voice slowly betraying him.

"I've fit it in before I've gone to see Mom. Twice last week, and today would have been my third this week…." I say so softly that I am surprised he heard me.

I jump as he slams his hand against the dining room table. He pushes his chair away and begins pacing around the room. "Have you fucked him?" he snaps at me after a second.

"No," I snap back at him.

"Why," he says again, running hands through his hair, "Why would you do that? Especially considering who he was to you…. Why would you do that to me?"

"I wasn't doing anything to you."

"Jesus Genevieve, you can't be this clueless," he snaps, "You know how I feel about that bastard, and you must know that sneaking around with him would hurt me… fuck, you sneaking around with any bastard would hurt me."

"I'm sorry, it didn't feel like sneaking around until these last couple of lunches," I whisper, "I was going to break it off and then Christian found me…"

"Break it off? God, you're making it sound like you fucked him…." He says, practically yelling, "I am going to ask you again - did you fuck him?"

"No," I plead.

"So it was just innocent," he says, mocking my word choice, "…. An innocent conversation between two people who have seen each other naked…"

Shit, I need to tell him. "I don't think it was innocent on his end… That's why I was there today. To break it off…. He…. Um…. Ended up kissing me."

"He what?" he snaps, his voice deadly.

"As I was leaving, he kissed me…." I whisper again, "That's when Christian found me…."

His expression is scorching, and I don't know what to do. After what seems like a century, Elliot finally begins moving around the kitchen. I see him grab his hat, his wallet, and finally his keys.

"Ell?"

"Ireland is a sleep, Mom is with Hayden and Rocky…. I'm leaving."

"Elliot," I plead, tears pouring down my eyes.

"I love you Genevieve, but fuck – I can't look at you right now." When the door slams behind him, I slowly sink into my chair – cursing every action I have made in the last two weeks.

**Elliot**

** "Mom," I say she finally picks up, "Can you keep Rocky and Hayden for a bit longer…. Actually, do you think you could keep them for the night?"**

"Sure dear," Mom agrees cheerfully, "I never get enough time with these two…. I'd love to keep them."

_ One problem taken care of, thank God. _"Thank you Mom," I say, more emotional then I intended. She is going to know something is up.

"Honey, are you ok?"

"Yeah Mom," I say as my voice continues to betray me, "if you could just watch the kids – that would be great."

"Ok baby, I will. But know that you can call me if you need me," she offers, voice sympathetic.

"Alright, thanks Mom." We hang up and I pull into Ana and Christian's driveway. When I knock on their front door, Ana is the first to greet me.

"Hey Elliot," she says cheerfully.

I can't help but ask her. It feels like word vomit as it slides through my lips. "Did you know? Did she tell you she was going to see him after you met with her?"

"What?" Ana asks, her blue eyes shining, "Elliot, what are you talking about?"

Christian enters the room and stops when he sees me. Ana looks back at him, and then back to me. "Do you know why he's here…." She asks, turning her gaze back to Christian, "Is it the same reason why you came home early?"

I close the door behind me and Christian turns to looks at his wife. "Baby, does the name Garrett Smith mean anything to you…" he asks her, voice soft and patient.

"God, yes," she says, shaking her head, "Gen hooked up with him after Hayden was born. He was part of the reason why moved to Boston…. I didn't want her around that bullshit….. why?"

"She's been meeting with him," I tell her as I feel my voice crack, "He fucking kissed her too. She's been lying to me for weeks."

Her expression softens, "Elliot…."

"I don't know what to do," I say, trying everything not to start crying. "It's like lately she doesn't understand that I love her. That I would do anything for her…. That she is my fucking world. What have I done wrong?"

Ana wraps me in a hug and smiles sweetly. "Let's have a talk El…"

**Ana**

** After a few hours of Christian supplying Elliot with Jack Daniels, I decide it is time to deal with my sister. **For a moment, I wonder if we'll always be like this. One of us will screw up, and the other will run to the others side and reassure the other that we won't always be this self-destructive. Eventually one of us will figure this out, eventually this has to end, eventually we need to figure this out, and stop fucking up our own lives.

When I knock, Genevieve immediately answers. Of course, she looks awful. "Hey," she says as her whole body sags, "I thought you were Elliot."

I follow her inside, "He's with my husband."

She nods as I follow her into her bedroom, "Ireland asleep?"

She nods, "Did they send you here?"

"No," I say, shaking my head, "I wanted to come see you. I wanted to talk some sense in you."

She curls into her bed, and I move in next to her. "I know I fucked up….."

"Why did you allow this to happen, I told you to stay away from him," I ask she wipes away a few stray tears.

"It honestly started out innocently from the beginning. I was just talking to an old friend…. And then he kept asking to see more of me."

"And you decided this was a good idea because…? You knew how Elliot would have reacted, did you not think about how he would feel?" She takes in a deep breath and runs her hands through her dark brown hair.

"I think I thought about it for a second…. And then Garrett and I would talk, and I would feel good about myself…"

"Does Elliot not make you feel good about yourself?" I ask as she shakes her head.

"He does, he does," she says, trying not to cry, "It was just the way that Garrett looked at me, and listened to me….. And god, not that Elliot doesn't… I don't know, it just was different with him."

I hold her tight as she cries in my shoulder. "I think," I begin, giving her a light kiss on her head, "We need to stop focusing on what we lost, and start focusing on what we have…."

She looks up at me with tear stained cheeks and I try not to smile. Even twenty eight – almost twenty nine- and the mother of three, she still reminds me so much of the little girl who was with me every moment of the day, she still reminds me of the little girl I raised.

Our mother may be alive and kicking, but her absence left a strain on our lives and relationships that has been harder to overcome than we ever realized. We need to stop living in that pain, we need to realize we are loved by our beautiful men and the families we have created. We need to allow ourselves a chance to be normal.

"Do you think that's what I am doing….?" She asks, "Do you think I'm focusing too much on the life I could have had and not the one I currently have….?"

"What other reason would you have for seeing a complete douchebag behind your husband's back…. The man who loves you and the man who is the reason you have those three beautiful kids."

She leans into me and gives me a small kiss. "Man, as awful as this sounds - It was kind of nice to pretend…. That I didn't have a family to be accountable for."

"If you had a normal life, and had kids in the proper timing," I tell her, "Ireland would have been your first, possibly your second, and not your third."

She sniffs, and I hold her closer. "I don't want him to leave me," she sobs, "What do I do?"

"Wait for him, and beg forgiveness once he finally decides to listen," I tell her as we snuggle in bed.

"I love you, but I don't want to sleep with you every night," she tells me as we both laugh.

"Then get that man back in this bed…. And stop fucking everything up…."

"Yes ma'am," she whispers as we both drift off to sleep.

**My eyes flip open as I see a figure in my room. **I turn over and I realize Ana isn't there anymore. I finally realize Elliot is back and pulling sheets out of the closet. I sit up, and watch Elliot as he moves through our bedroom. It's a relief that he doesn't seem to be packing his things, but I still don't know what he is doing.

"Elliot?"

He stops and turns to acknowledge me. It is then I realize that he is placing blankets and sheets on the couch across the room. He leans over and leaves a peck on my forehead.

"I promised a long time ago in front of our family and God to stick through the bad times and the good with you," he whispers, "I know you better than you think Gen and I think walking out on you would do more damage than good. So I am going to stay and we're going to work through this…. I love you, but I am less than happy with you right now."

I nod my head and he kisses me again. "Good night Elliot."

"Goodnight Genevieve."

**A/N – The NEXT chapter will have Ana and Christian getting down to it…. My bad. Lol. And please excuse any errors you found – this is what I get for editing at 12:30. Please review and tell me what you think of this chapter!**


	23. The Fourth of July

**Chapter 23 – The Fourth of July**

**Ana**

**When I eventually make it home from snuggling with Genevieve, Christian is in our bed and wide awake.** He looks up at me when I enter and a sad smile crosses his lips. I am not sure how Elliot and Christian concluded their evening of drinking, but I hope it was good. Even though Gen made a big mistake, I want them to work this out. They love each other too much to let Genevieve's issues to get in the way of their happiness.

"Hey…. I'm assuming Elliot is better now?" I ask as I change for bed.

He sighs, "Not better… just improved."

"What does that supposed to mean?" I ask, slipping off my lounge pants.

He smirks at my sudden nakedness, but then uncertainty fills his features. "He's still mad as hell. Gen really fucked with his head, but we both eventually figured something out…."

"And what is that?" I ask as I slip next to Christian. He leaves a small kiss on my forehead.

"We both love you," he tells me, "And we're both committed to you. And leaving either of you will just fuck things up more. Your mother is a living proof that walking out is never the answer…"

I feel my heart beat faster as he moves his lips to my neck. "Really?"

He nods, "No more leaving. No more backing down because we're scared. Elliot and I decided tonight that we're going to love the fuck out of both of you, no matter how much you resist."

Only Christian Grey could make that statement incredibly sweet. "Really?"

Christian snickers, "Baby, you sound like a broken record."

"I am just shocked."

He snorts, "What are you so shocked by? That we love you both even when you act like idiots…"

I laugh as I punch him, "No, It's just cute that you both have a plan to deal with us. It is…. Thoughtful and sweet…."

"You just used the words "deal with you" and you think that is sweet?" he snorts, "You seem to have it bad Mrs. Grey."

"I do, Mr. Grey."

He moves his lips to mine and I curl my arms around his neck. "You both are pains in the ass, but we love you," he whispers in my ear as I feel my way up his hard body.

"Hmmm," I hum peacefully as he continues to kiss my neck, "I've missed this." As our bodies mold together, I begin panting – just the feel of him against me has my mind spinning.

"I know the feeling," he breathes as he works to get me naked, "We were without each other for so long, so any length of time has me missing you…"

He moves on top of me, and I am practically naked putty in his capable hands. I move to push his pants off him and grab tightly to his beautiful behind.

For a split second, I think of how insensitive this is, to make love to my husband the night my sister and her husband are dealing with awful, awful problems. Genevieve would think I was insane for feeling guilty, but I can't help but feel bad for my sister's situation. When Christian penetrates me slowly, the guilt easily finds its way out of my brain.

"Shit," he breathes as he moves in and out, "Oh baby, you feel so good."

He is so hard and he is moving way too damn slow. "Harder Christian…"

"No baby, I need this slow."

A groan that I didn't believe I was capable of making escapes my throat. "Harder, please." I grab on to his behind and urge him to go faster. He huffs and laughs hoarsely.

"Whatever thy lady wants," he says as he starts to pick up the pace.

He begins slamming into me, and I feel myself begin to lose control. I love how he makes me feel, and I love what he does to my body. He continues to fuck me, and I feel myself moving closer to my orgasm. We've made love for weeks, but tonight I needed this – I've needed him to just fuck me.

When we both fall over the edge, he lightly bites my neck and I scream in delight over how good it feels to have his teeth on me.

"Shit, did I hurt you?" he pants.

"No," I giggle as I kiss his cheek, "I wanted that. I needed to be good and fucked. You've been way too gentle with me since I had the baby…"

He snorts as he rolls off me, "I hope our daughter doesn't grow up with a potty mouth… it's one thing when we say it, it's another thing when our kid says it…."

"Whatever" I say, flitting my wrist, "I just hope our daughter finds a man one day when she is much, much, much, much older who can cause such a great potty mouth in bed…"

He blanches and cringes at my words, "Don't ever say that to me again…. That's my baby you're talking about."

I snicker and grab his face, "Sorry…, but one day she won't be your baby, "I kiss him softly and the tension is quickly erased. "I needed that. Thank you."

**Genevieve**

** I hate that he is sleeping on the couch. **I hate that I was the cause of this separation. I'm glad he isn't gone, but somehow I think this result is much worse.

Unable to take this anymore, I jump out of bed and join him on the couch. The couch in our bedroom isn't huge, so I wrap myself around him as much as I can. Feeling his hard body against mine and his scent in my nostrils, I try to pretend that he doesn't hate me and that this won't ruin us.

"Gen…" he growls in my ear, "What are you doing?"

I creep a hand under his sleep shirt, and I feel him tense under my fingertips. "I don't like you sleeping over here."

He sighs, "I'm still so mad…. It's the only way I can do this without confusing Rocky and Hayden."

"What?"

"Gen, I need time…"

I can't stop the tears rolling down my cheeks, "I didn't mean it Elliot…. He kissed me. I pushed him away…"

"But you met with him behind my back," he whispers, "You knew that it would bother me, and you did it anyway… It makes me wonder…"

"It makes you wonder what?" I snap back.

He sighs, "I just remember when I met with Kate all those years ago…. And I remember how much being around her made me forget that I was a Dad and how close I was to being committed to one person for the rest of my life."

I feel my lungs tighten as he continues, "And then when I saw how much it hurt you…. I don't think I ever understood how you were feeling until now. I get it…. I get why you were so upset and why you took Hayden away from me. Because…" I hear him let out a small sob. "Because the one person who means the most to me…. Found something that I couldn't provide them in someone else. And it sucks…."

"Elliot," I sob.

"It's different now though… because you and me, we've been through so much. I am more in love with you then I ever expected to be with anyone else in my life, and now this happened and no matter how innocent it may seem – my best friend couldn't even find what she wanted in me. It hurts."

I sob into his shoulder as he holds me, stroking my back as I cry. "I'm sorry," is all I can say in response, "I'm sorry".

After I finish crying he places a kiss on the top of my head, picks me up, and places me back on our bed. He crawls back to the couch without me, and I can't help but cry even harder.

**I don't know what time it is when Hayden explodes into my bedroom. **I feel my bed move up and down and my thirteen year old daughter moves right in my face.

"Mommy…. It's the fourth of July!"

I snicker to myself as Hayden tries to wake me up. Hayden is a sucker for holidays – she has always been like this. I blame Ana and I's influence – we we're big on holidays when she was a baby. Since my birthday has always been the same week as Fourth of July, Hayden usually celebrates this holiday with gusto.

"Baby girl, give me time to get up…"

I look around my bedroom and notice that Elliot is already gone. In the place of my husband, I see my older sister standing at the door with my niece in her arms.

"Good morning," I say to my sister as she smirks.

"Good morning to you too…" she says with a broad smile, "Get up… we have a Fourth of July parade that we need to attend. It's been a while since Hayden has been excited over something other than boys and her Instagram."

Hayden gasps and scrunches her nose at Ana. "Nana, don't be like that."

When Ana smiles back at Hayden, I notice that Josephine is completely decked out in Red, White, and Blue. "I had no idea your daughter was so patriotic…"

"Yours is too," she says, pointing upstairs, "Gail is dressing her as we speak."

"Gail is coming with us?" I ask, immediately excited for the extra help.

"And four security men…" Ana says, "Apparently, somebody's teenage daughter organized this a long time ago with her Uncle Christian…. She, I hear, is an excellent debater, brought one of America's greatest CEO's to heel."

"Who do you think I learned it from?" Hayden asks as she skips off happily.

**My daughter and Josephine look ridiculously adorable for the Fourth of July Parade. **Gail helps us take pictures of the girls and we immediately send them to our husbands and Grace. I take in a deep breath as I send the picture to Elliot. Not much was figured out last night. All I know is that he is mad at me, but he still wants to stay with me. I wish I knew how to fix this.

Elliot seems to think that because I met with Garrett, what Garrett and I had can't be reproduced. And it can't, because it was superficial. I didn't tell Elliot about Garrett because I thought I could get it out of my system and move on. Obviously – I am a bigger idiot then I realized.

I press send and Ana squeezes my hand. "It's going to be a good day Gen. You will be fine. Everything is going to be fine."

I nod and gather up my little girl in my arms. Rocky grabs on to Hayden's hand as we head outside to the SUV. The security team helps us as we pack and suddenly I receive a text message from Elliot.

_My girls are beautiful. Have a good time today, I love you Gen – Elliot_

I take in a deep breath and thank my lucky stars – he doesn't hate me. There is hope for us yet.

**Ana**

** Usually, I would be on Christian for the amount of security he has found for today's parade. **When he is unreasonable, he typically goes overboard and to embarrassing heights. Today with the crowds and amount of drunk people, I am very happy he went overboard.

Sawyer, Reynolds, Davis (who I assume to be new), and Thomas (who I also assume is new) will be escorting us to the Fourth of July activities in Bellevue. We've decided on bringing a picnic blanket so we can sit away from the commotion and dote on the girls. Also, Hayden, Rocky and two security team members can scour the festivities without their boring Aunt and mother getting in their way.

Sawyer thankfully found us a place with shade so the sun doesn't bother the girls. I know we won't be able to sit here for long, but this will be the perfect place to eat snacks and enjoy the day before the parade begins.

"How are you doing," I ask my sister as Josephine grabs onto my pinky.

She sighs, "He is still so hurt…. But he promises he isn't going to leave me and that he loves me. I guess he just needs time…."

I nod, "Yeah, it was kind of cute. Christian told me last night that the boys have come up with a plan on how to deal with us. Geez, I bet they could write a book at this point."

Genevieve snickers and sighs, "They so could. I bet they could write a whole library about us."

I nod, "They love us…. Just keep the faith. He'll come around." Gen smiles sadly and plants a small kiss on Ireland's cheek.

**When Rocky and Hayden return close to an hour later, Rocky decides it would be fun to climb on top of me. **Gail moves Josephine away as Rocky's small body pushes me to the ground.

"I win Aunt Ana."

Hayden bursts into laughter, "I don't think she was playing any games with you buddy."

"This boy needs a brother to play with…" I say to Gen.

"No, there are too many kids at my house. I think he needs a boy cousin to play with," she shoots back, "It must be rough being the only boy in a family of all girls…"

"Do you want a brother, Rocky?" I ask him as he grins.

"Uh-huh."

"Honey, I bet you'd want a boy cousin more though…. Right?" Gen prompts him.

"Yeah I want both!" he says as I hoist him on to my back. I stand up and he holds on tight.

"Let's go to the parade, and then we'll eat lunch!" I tell him as he giggles. He is the giggliest child I have ever met, his little laugh is addicting.

"PARADE, PARADE, PARADE!" he proclaims as I carry him off to the festivities.

**Gen and I breastfed earlier, and the kids had snacks so I am hoping we have won't have winey children during the parade. **We were going to have a full picnic lunch after the parade, but I'm thinking it will be easier to just bring our entire group to a nearby restaurant. Christian owns several around the area and I am sure that any of them would be willing to vacate so his family can eat in peace.

The security team finds a place where we all can sit in peace, and we wait for the festivities to start. We have kept shade on the girls all day, and the little ones have been relatively peaceful. With the exception a few dirty diapers, in which Hayden made a bigger scene about then the babies, the day has been great.

The parade begins and Genevieve turns to me. "Of course, as soon as this thing starts – I need to take a dump. You good here?"

Gail laughs, "Go ahead Genevieve; we're all good here…"

She saunters off with Thomas and Rocky jumps in my lap. I hold my sweet nephew as I take in the scene in front of me. The girls are lying in their strollers, both zonked out from the day of festivities. Hayden is chatting to a nearby friend from school and even our posse of security, Gail included, has enjoyed themselves.

It is days like this that make me feel blessed to have the life I live. I have been through a lot in my life, and I never thought I'd get to this point. I never thought I'd get to this point of contentment with my family, and the man I love. I take this moment to take a picture of Josephine and Ireland soundly sleeping and send it to Christian.

_All is well at the July 4__th__ Parade. Thanks for getting us security Daddy so I can hang with my cousin! Love, Joey_

I smirk as I send it and turn my attention back to Rocky. "I wanna play angry birds Nana!" Rocky begs as he grabs for my phone.

"Watch the parade buddy," I say as I hug my nephew.

"Nana, can you get me candy?" he asks.

"After lunch buddy…"

Christian texts me back and I smile when I receive his message.

_I'd do anything for you baby girl… and your Mommy too. Have fun baby. Love, Dad_

I smile as I send him a response. _Daddy, I want a little brother. Do you think you can make that happy for me? I know Rocky would be so stoked – Joey_

I take in a deep, anxious breath. I really hope he doesn't flip out. I know he is more confident in his fathering capabilities, but maybe it is too soon to talk about baby number two.

Another text rolls in and I open it instantly. _A brother is up for discussion, I mean – the first one was do damn fun to make. - C_

_ No s-e-x talk in front of the b-a-b-y -Ana_

_ I forgot our child was a super baby genius and could text message at eight weeks old. Little brother talks will continue once you get home with my first born. I feel lacy underwear is pertinent for the success of said discussions. Love you – C_

_ Mr. Grey, I seem to think no underwear is much better …. – A_

_ :-) - C_

I snicker to myself as I place the phone back in my purse. Minutes later, Sawyer leans into my ear.

"Mrs. Grey, we need to go."

I look up at Sawyer and I see that he is anxious, his eyes wide with concern. "Sawyer?"

"I don't want to make a commotion, Mrs. Grey, but we need to go now."

Gail picks up on our conversation and begins to move the stroller. Reynolds grabs Rocky and Hayden follows him without question. Davis follows the moving stroller and Sawyer grabs my elbow.

"We can't leave Gen is in the bathroom," I tell Sawyer as we move.

"That's the issue," he snaps, "I just got a call, something happened…"

I look up at him, wondering what the hell he is talking about. Not wanting Hayden or Rocky to hear, I silently beg him to tell me what is going on.

"We need to get them in the SUV immediately," he orders.

"Where is my sister?"

"Thomas is taking care of it," he whispers as we make our way to where we've parked.

"Taking care of what?" I ask as suddenly Hayden screams.

"MOM!"

I whip my head to see where Hayden is looking. When I see my sister, I feel my blood run cold. Thomas is carrying her in his arms and blood is plastered to his white dress shirt. Her head is against his shoulder, and I am not even sure she is awake. She looks like she got the shit beat out of her.

"MOMMY!" Rocky screams, "WHAT HAPPENED TO MOMMY?"'

"Get him to the SUV," I yell to the rest of the security team, "Get them all to the SUV."

I turn to Hayden and tears are falling like rivers down her face. "Hayden," I say, grabbing her arm, "Your Mom is going to be ok… I don't know what happened but right now, you need to be strong for your brother, ok?"

She looks at me nervously but finally follows my instructions obediently. Once they are all inside the SUV, I follow Sawyer to Thomas and Genevieve. Once we meet them halfway, Thomas gently lays Genevieve on the grass.

"Is she breathing?" I ask, "What the hell happened?"

He nods, "She's breathing. I did a sweep of the bathroom, so I don't know what the hell happened. She took too long getting out of the bathroom so I went in to check and some asshole was beating the shit out of her when I got in there. I got him away from her, but it was already too late. I wanted to follow him as he ran off, but I couldn't leave her like this…. That fucker is going to get away."

"You did the right thing," Sawyer tells him, shaking his head, "Davis called the police…. We need to take her to the hospital."

"He said…" Genevieve suddenly gurgles out, "He said…"

"We have another car," Sawyer interrupts, "Rocky doesn't need to see her like this."

"Shut up Sawyer," I say, "Gen… what is it…"

She coughs, and tries to take in a deep breath, "He said that they aren't gone… that they'll be back. That they want their retribution."

"Who?" Sawyer snaps, "What retribution?"

Suddenly a thought comes to mind, and I wonder if this could possibly be true. "Sawyer…. Do you think this maybe could be linked…. To our accident?"

His face immediately turns pale. "Fuck."

**A/N – Thanks for reading! I do not own FSOG, but the extra characters and story lines are mine. **

**This is the beginning of the end…. We are rolling to a resolution! I hope you guys enjoyed it and please let me know what you think!**


	24. Retribution

**A/N – FYI – if you read my other stories, I am going to be focusing on this one until I am done (hopefully) – maybe working on "Feel Again" if I get a lot of inspiration. Save me is the lowest on the priority list, but I am not abandoning any of these stories. So don't worry. **

**Alright, I hope you like this chapter! Please comment and let me know what you think! I don't own FSOG but the story lines and the extra characters are mine. **

**Chapter 24 – Retribution **

**Elliot **

** I always used to make fun of the type of guy I have turned into.** The guy who was obsessed with his kids, and his wife – in the back of my mind, I thought I'd be a bachelor forever. Then Genevieve came into my world, and changed everything. I wasn't there for the first three years of my daughter's life, but that didn't mean I didn't think about her and Gen every single day. I did, and I couldn't stop. The possibilities in my life were taken away and I never thought I would get them back.

Then Gen and Hayden re-appeared, and I found myself falling for both of them. Gen is striking, captivating, enthralling – it's hard to take your eyes off her when she walks into a room or when she smiles. Fuck, I love that damn smile. I love waking up to that smile every single morning. The same goes for Ana, Christian and I are lucky bastards. I felt pulled to her from the moment she was re-introduced into my world. I could not stay away from her – it's like a sickness.

When Ana left and I had Hayden and Gen to myself, we were inseparable. We became a family unit, and I loved every single moment of it. My one fault is that I didn't appreciate it. I assumed since Genevieve gave birth to my kid and we seemed so connected (the sex included) – she would always stay with me. I shake my head at how stupid I was – in my eyes, I saw Kate and I's lunch dates as "innocent" and no big deal. In reality – I was still attracted to her, and she was still attracted to me. I wanted more time with Kate. I had missed her, and needed some time to get her out my system. Whenever Gen would bitch me out for whatever reason, it was nice to go to Kate. She was someone outside of my everyday life yet still knew me. I don't think I would have slept with Kate, but the fact that I allowed her to kiss me, and that I allowed a line to be crossed just fucking shows that Gen should have left me. I deserved to be walked out on.

Now that the roles are reversed, I really am at a loss. I've been battling with myself since I found out about Garrett Smith. I don't think Gen deserves to be walked out on, because I think that bastard took advantage of the situation. He took advantage of her friendship, and took advantage of their former "relationship" to drive a wedge between us. I'm not making an excuse for my wife's actions; she's an adult and needs to take responsibility for what she did, but I think his aggressive perusal of a married woman didn't help the situation. I feel like if I brought this problem to any of my friends – they'd tell me to make her suffer and show her who is boss. I love her too damn much to do that. I understand her enough to know that she didn't mean for this to happen, but she needs to make serious changes before she gets my forgiveness. I don't know what that is going to take at this point, but I'm willing to work through anything with her.

I flip my phone back open and smile at the picture of Ireland and Genevieve getting ready for the parade. Ireland, Rocky, and Hayden are why I haven't threatened to leave or have been vicious with her. I can't – she is my world. She is the mother of my beautiful kids. Even though I am frustrated and angry, I can't do that to her. I've seen plenty of bitter men run over women who have wronged them in some way, and I can't do that to my wife.

"Good looking family," my co-worker Burt says as he takes a seat next to me, "I feel bad for the new little one…. She looks just like you."

I snort, "Shut up jackass."

"Good thing Genevieve is her mother… or that kid would be butt ugly."

I smack him as he laughs. My phone immediately rings, and I and I answer it without thinking.

"Hello…."

"Elliot…" I hear Christian's voice through the phone, "I'm on my way to get you… be waiting at the front of the property, we need to go as soon as possible."

"Dude, I can't leave. This is going to take all day… I'm fucking working."

He takes in a deep breath, "Elliot…. Gen was attacked, she's in the hospital."

I feel the phone drop from my hand before I can vocalize a response.

**Ana **

** As we drop Genevieve off at the hospital, I say goodbye to Gail and Davis and give a kiss to Ireland and Josephine. **We decided that the babies didn't need to be here for this, and that it would be better if they stayed with Gail and another security member. Rocky grabs my hand and his worried little face fills me with dread. Poor baby is so confused, and I don't know how to help him.

Hayden, Rocky, and I are escorted to the waiting room to wait for an announcement concerning her condition. Hayden looks terrified, but I know she is trying to keep a straight face for Rocky's sake. When we finally make it inside the small private room, I take a seat and Hayden and Rocky both crawl on my lap. If we weren't under such horrible circumstances, I would think this was cute.

"Mom is going to be ok, right Nana?" Hayden asks.

I nod, "Of course she'll be fine – she's your mother, she's tough."

She nods as I hear Rocky whimper. Hayden kisses his forehead, "She's going to be ok buddy, I promise." He nods his head sadly and now it's my turn to kiss my nephew.

Grace walks in, and we all three jump up. "What happened?" she gasps. I point to the kids, and she nods in understanding. I'd rather go into details once they are out of the room. "I assume my boys know…." She says as I nod, "I cannot believe they didn't go with you two to the Fourth of July parade… Those boys work way too much…"

"I have a feeling they won't leave either of us alone ever again."

In that moment, both boys bust into the waiting room. "Daddy!" Hayden and Rocky both squeal as they race toward Elliot. Elliot grabs them both, concern and relief evident in his eyes. He kisses them both, and holds them close. Christian holds on to me and kisses my temple.

"Where's Ireland?" Elliot asks, still holding on to Rocky and Hayden.

"We sent her home with Gail and one of the security guys."

"We sent a second security detail to be with Gail and our daughters," Christian explains to Elliot. He nods, relieved.

"Daddy," Rocky whines, "I'm worried about Mommy…"

Elliot holds back a sob as he kisses Rocky's curls. "She's going to be fine…. Uncle Christian and I are going to make sure she is as good as new. Don't worry…. "

A doctor enters and takes in the scene in front of him. "Genevieve Grey's family?"

"I'm her husband," Elliot says, turning to the doctor.

"Her left rib is broken, she has a moderate concussion, a lot of bruising, a pretty bad black eye – I don't think we have any internal bleeding, but I want to keep her overnight just to be sure. She must have fallen unconscious the ride over so she just woke up. You can see her in just a few minutes if you'd like…."

Elliot nods and grabs the hands of each kid. He turns around to look at Christian and me. "I'll be back… we need to talk…."

**Christian held me as we waited for Elliot to come back. **I have so many questions, I want to know what is going on but I don't think now is the time for that. I just want to hold him. This whole situation is damn terrifying and I just need to feel him against me.

"Thank you for sending another security detail to the house…" I tell him, "I feel better knowing there is twice the coverage."

He nods, but I see another emotion in his eyes. He is holding something back, and I am suddenly very terrified to ask what that might be. Elliot finally joins us and takes a seat next to us.

"How is she?" I ask him.

"She's awake," he breathes, "The kids are with her now…" He takes in another deep breath, and I see the pain in his eyes. He is absolutely wrecked. Before I think he might burst into tears, he stands up, picks up a chair, and throws it across the closed waiting room. The chair crashes into another chair and the leg breaks in half.

When he begins to pace, all Christian can do is nod. "I know exactly how you feel."

"Why haven't we figured this out yet, Christian," he snaps, "Why are these bastards still out there?"

"Welch is looking…"

"Look fucking harder," he says, getting in Christian's face.

"Don't you think I'm trying, you weren't the only person to almost lose somebody. I almost lose two people…"

He grabs my hand, and I feel myself getting emotional. I don't like the thought of almost losing Josephine. "Get your fucking security chief on the phone," Elliot yells, mimicking him in his tone.

"Don't be a jackass…" Christian yells back.

"MY WIFE," Elliot screams, "IS IN THE FUCKING HOSPITAL BECAUSE YOUR SECURITY CHIEF COULDN'T FIGURE THIS OUT …. SO DON'T FUCKING TELL ME HOW TO TALK."

"We don't know if this is the same attacker," I try to mention over the screaming, "It could be anybody."

A light bulb pops in Elliot's eyes. "Garrett… that Garret fucker, He had something to do with this…"

"Maybe," I say, unsure if his theory is correct, "But I don't know how we could prove that."

Christian's phone rings on speaker phone and both men suddenly get quiet. "Welch."

"My brother wanted to speak with you," Christian says.

"Mr. Grey," Welch says, "I promise you that I am not stopping until we find that fucker."

"I want you to kill him," Elliot snaps, "No, I take that back. Find him so I can kill him…"

Welch doesn't say a word, but I hear him snicker in appreciation. "I'll see what I can do about that Mr. Grey…"

Elliot takes a seat across the room, and Christian and Welch finish their conversation. I move across the room to sit with Elliot. I softly rub his back as I hear a few sobs fill his chest.

He looks up at me, eyes raw. "You two need to figure out that we are crazy about you and that we would do anything for you. I have died a thousand deaths today, and what makes me sick is that I don't think she gets that – I don't think she gets how fucking in love I am with her."

"She does…" I whisper.

"This self-destructive shit needs to stop. We all get it, you only had each other after your parents died… but now you have us, and it's about time you both figured that out and treated us like you know and understand that we would fucking move mountains for you …."

With that, he quickly walks out of the waiting room.

**Still shaken up by my conversation with Elliot, Christian and I take our trip to Genevieve's room. **She is awake but still very weak. Elliot won't allow Rocky on Gen's bed so he has found his own spot next to his mother and placed his little head next to his Mommy's hand. Gen periodically strokes his hair, and smiles fondly at her only son.

"How long am I staying here?" Gen asks as she runs her hand through Rocky's curls.

"As long as we can keep you here," Elliot tells her, "I want to make sure there are no other complications before we take you home."

She smiles up at him, and he looks down at her fondly. "Can I kiss my husband?" she asks. I see the hesitation before she asks the question. I know they haven't talked about their issues but with how Elliot has been acting since we all entered her hospital room, I doubt he'll hold back any love from his bedridden wife.

"Of course baby," he whispers as he leans down for a soft kiss. Even his soft kiss makes her flinch slightly due to the cut on her lip. "I'm sorry…"

"It's ok Elliot," she whispers, "I'd kiss you while in pain." He smiles fondly as he leaves another kiss on her temple. _Yeah,_ he's not letting her out of his sight for a while.

"Are you sure you're ok Mom?" Hayden asks, sweetly pretending to ignore her parent's public display of affection. Under normal circumstances, she would choose to comment about how gross they are.

"I'm fine. Just a little sore, but I'm going to be ok…. And Daddy is going to take good care of me once I'm out," she tells her. Genevieve looks up at him nervously, hoping her joke didn't cross a line. He just looks down and smirks.

"Who would do something like this?" Hayden asks, her sweet face full of anxiety.

"Hey," Christian says, rubbing her back, "You don't need to worry Hayden. We're investigating this situation, everything will be fine."

"But after Aunt Ana got in her car wreck…. I'm just nervous."

_Shit, _we'll definitely need to worry about Hayden in all of this. She is thirteen and she is not stupid. We need to quell any fears, and quickly.

"Hayden," Elliot says, "Uncle Christian and I are taking care of it. I can almost guarantee that we'll step up security, but baby don't worry – you're safe."

Gen nods in agreement, "Sweetie, don't worry."

Taylor enters the room and turns to Christian and me. He motions to us, and we both follow him out of the room. Taylor turns to me once the door is shut.

"Mrs. Grey…. You're mother and step-father is here to see Genevieve."

I feel unexpected anger bubble through me. "What?"

"They're here. The FBI has given her clearance to leave. They want to see Genevieve."

Christian is just as shocked as I am. "Don't you think that is shot to hell now? I don't want her anywhere near them…."

"They haven't had time to investigate Genevieve's incident…."

"Oh hell no," I snap. I don't even let Taylor finish, I'm so mad.

I stomp through the hospital and it doesn't take long for me to find her. She is in a waiting room at the front of the hospital and I quickly enter and close the door behind me. She turns around and her eyes go wide. I feel Christian and Taylor come in behind me as Carla and I stare each other down.

"What are you doing here?"

"I want to see your sister," Carla says, shaken by my directness, "I'm allowed to see you both freely now."

"She is in here because of you…"

She blanches and I feel Christian's hand on my shoulder. I know he is silently imploring me to calm down, but I am allowed to talk to my "ghost" mother however I so chose.

"You don't know that…" she breathes.

"Yeah I do… I don't want you to see her. You'll confuse Hayden and Rocky," I snap at her.

"We can tell them that I am a friend of their mother's... We don't have to tell them that I am their grandmother."

"Their grandmother is dead," I snarl, "I don't know who you are…"

"Anastasia Rose, I am your mother," she hisses, "I know you haven't accepted that, but Genevieve has, I want to be her mother."

"That's the thing "Mom"," I yell, "You aren't her mother. I am. I took care of her, I made sure she made it to school every day, and I packed her lunch. I bought her first training bra, and I was there when she was freaked out by her period. I braided her hair and taught her how to ride a bike. And when she found out that she was pregnant at sixteen, I held her hand and I helped her through it. I raised her and Hayden, and I did it by my fucking self. I gave up my life so I could give her one… so I could give them both one and I didn't get that back until Christian Grey walked into my life… so you know what - I'm good. We're good without you."

I feel suddenly guilty when I see tears roll down her face, but it's the truth. She is not going to walk in here and act like our mother when I sacrificed everything to give us a life. I am more of Gen's mother then Carla Steele will ever be. I'm not in the mood to make nice.

"Ana can you please hear her out?" my stepfather tries to tell me.

I turn to him, and shake my head. "No, I don't know you. You are definitely not my father. Stay out of it."

"This wasn't my fault… I just want to get to know you," my mother pleads with me, "If I had the choice, I would have stayed. I would have been there for you girls, but I couldn't. It wasn't safe."

"And I get that, but it's too late. I'm out…"

When I turn to walk out the door, I hear my mother sobbing behind me.


	25. 458824

**A/N – Thanks for all the reviews from the last chapter!**

**I don't own FSOG **

**Chapter 25 – 458824 **

**Ana**

** After Genevieve was released from the hospital a day later, security was stepped up tenfold. **We have constant surveillance and each one of us has a body guard. If we travel, we travel with a posse. Grey House and Grey Gallery's security has been stepped up too. Along with mine and Gen's family and our businesses – security has increased with Grace, Mia, Flora, and their son Samuel. Nothing is being left without some type of security. I haven't gone to work since the incident and Giselle has been more than accommodating. I normally would object, but Christian has been home a lot more and I think that is the perfect tradeoff.

With this terrifying situation constantly on our minds, I worry about Christian. He doesn't seem to be handling any of this all that well. When I wake up in the middle of the night, Christian is glued to my side, as if he's afraid to let me go even for a little bit. We made love hours ago, but I still can't sleep , not with those grey eyes burning into me. He hasn't slept at all since Gen's accident, and that worries me.

"Honey… sleep," I tell him, "The baby will be up soon."

He snickers, "Then what's the point?"

I lean forward to kiss him softly and the small hum of contentment that exits his throat echoes across my skin. I run my hand through his hair and pull him even closer. I tuck my legs around his and I rest my face in the crook of his neck.

"Nothing beats this," he whispers. He looks at me, and I feel loved, but I also feel anxiety. He is holding back, but he isn't saying anything. I wish he would vocalize his fears – we're in this together.

"Christian…" I say, running my thumb across his lips, "What is it?"

He kisses the pad of my thumb and looks up at me nervously. He seems to be silently warring with himself and I would give anything to know what is going on in his brain. He takes in a deep sigh and kisses my temple.

"I'll just feel better once this is… resolved…"

I nod and kiss his neck. "You need to sleep…" I tell him.

"I need you…" he breathes, snuggling closer to me.

"Christian," I finally ask, "I don't want this to tear you apart…. I need you now more than ever, and I am afraid you're letting this … ruin you…"

He sighs, "Ana, my world is being threatened…. How can this not ruin me?"

I have no response to that, I know my husband and I know that no words will be able to ease his mind about this. I just take this opportunity in the silence to hold him, and to let him hold me. It feels good to just be still and feel his body against mine.

"You do know," I tell him, "At the end of the day… no matter what happens. Josephine comes first."

I feel him tense as he weighs the meaning of that statement. "It strikes me with terror that she is involved with this… that she could be affected if anything happens."

His words send a shiver down my spine, and I hold him closer. This was exactly what my mother went through when my Dad was murdered. This same bullshit is what separated me from her, and now – it might separate me from Josephine.

"Hey…" Christian as he meets my eyes, "Stop it. I don't want you to stress about this."

"How can I not?" I ask him as he continues to hold me. I snuggle into his chest as he kisses me softly. "Together," I tell him, "We'll get through this together…. You can't put all of this on your shoulders. I won't let you."

He sighs deeply, "I love you."

**This day has been a complete blur. **One minute, I'm making breakfast for Christian, who decided to stay home today, and the next minute I am getting Josephine up from her afternoon nap. Before I can comprehend that it's getting dark, Gail is already making moves in my kitchen.

"Mrs. Grey," Gail says as Josephine and I enter the room, "What would you like for dinner?"

"Whatever is easiest for you Gail," I yawn as I take a seat.

Suddenly, Welch exits Christian's office. Christian follows behind and nods at me. When did Welch get here? I don't remember ever seeing him walk in. Welch disappears with my husband and I turn to look at Gail.

"How long have I been asleep…?"

She snickers, "A while."

Christian reappears and Gail immediately takes the baby from my arms. Josephine is in a surprisingly good mood tonight and happily squirms in Gail's arms. He grabs my elbow and squeezes tenderly. "You and I need to talk," Christian says as he leads me to an open guest room. When we enter, Welch is moving the couches so that they're facing each other.

"What's going on?" I ask immediately.

Christian takes in a deep breath, "You have to promise not to get mad."

"I love when you start conversations out like this…" I huff.

He sighs nervously, "Your Mom is coming by the house tonight…"

I think this is what complete and utter shock feels like. "No she is not," I immediately snap.

"Mrs. Grey, this interview is essential to our investigation."

"Then interview her at the FBI safe house…" I snarl at him. I don't want her here. What is he doing to me?

Christian and Welch exchange glances and Christian finally turns back to me. "Her safe house was compromised, she has been re-located."

"So you're going to bring her to my home," I practically yell at him, "Where my daughter lives and breathes… you're bringing those murderous shit heads right to my daughter."

"We have the best security in the state," Christian fires back, "Baby, I've thought about this long and hard – this is the only way."

"I don't like it."

"Anyone in the Seattle area knows where we live…. And security has been stepped up on the premises, nobody is getting in who is not supposed to be here," he tells me, leaning over to kiss me, "Do not worry Ana."

"I don't understand why you're being so free and easy about our safety," I growl at him. He wants to be all lovey dovey with me, but I am not in the mood. This is an asinine idea.

Christian's expression turns instantly angry. "Ana," he snaps back, "You need to trust me, and know that I have agonized over this…. We are running out of options."

"Find more options Christian," I yell at him, "I am not going to let my daughter be anywhere near this bullshit."

"Come with me," he huffs as he grabs my hand. I follow him obediently, but I cannot believe how he is acting right now. This seems too risky, and I have never seen Christian be this risky with our safety. We walk through our home, and he finally brings me to the security office.

We walk through the room and eventually find a steel door that has been placed in the corner of the office. It seems to be very inconspicuously placed, and I doubt anyone would notice it unless you were looking for it.

"5647," he tells me as he presses the numbers into the keypad. He opens the small door and begins his descent into the basement. "There are stairs, baby," he says once he lands, "They aren't hard to climb down, but if you come down here with the baby…. it may be easier to hand the baby over to the first person who descends and then climb down yourself."

The thought of bringing Josephine down here terrifies me to no end, but I finally see why Christian believes this to be the safest spot for any of us. I climb down easily and Christian leads me to another steel door.

"458824," he repeats back.

"How long have we had this?" I ask as he opens the larger door.

He smirks, "I built it when we bought the house… I just wanted to wait to tell you about this until the right time."

"Why those numbers?" I ask as he brings me into the expansive room. I feel my jaw drop; this place is an underground palace. "Baby, we live in Seattle – was a basement panic room really a good plan?"

"So many questions, Mrs. Grey," he says with an amused grin, "Let's just say, the two codes represent the two most important people in my life. And to answer your second question, this isn't that far underground, we're still very safe this far down."

I look around the room and realize that Christian really thought of everything. For a panic room, it is actually quite homey. The walls are tan with gold borders. There is a stash of food in golden cabinets – obviously cooking would not be an option down here. A bed is set up with several couches, all in the same tan and gold color scheme. There is a golden crib next to the bed. I see an extra door, and I assume that is the bathroom.

"If anything happens, you, Gail, and Jo will come straight here…. No arguments."

I turn to him, and he is gazing at me apprehensively. I don't like the idea of leaving him for any purpose, I want him with us. I don't want to ever be without him, but I am thankful that he thought of this. I am scared, but thankful.

"Baby, you haven't spoken in a while," he says softly as he wraps his arm around my waist.

I take in a deep breath, "I take back my words from earlier – you have obviously thought about this."

He nods, "I don't like this, but I can't think of anything better… I won't go into hiding, that hasn't worked for your mother, and this is my house and my family – I will protect you until the end."

I don't like his choice of words. "I love you," I whisper to him. I am fucking terrified out of my mind, but I love him and we're in this together. I'll die for this man.

"I love you too…" he breathes as he leans over to kiss my forehead, "Too much."

"Excuse me," I hear behind us. I turn around and see Taylor standing at the open door. "Mrs. Grey," Taylor says, "I must say – this Panic Room is state of the art. I helped Mr. Grey design it. No fucker is getting in here."

Taylor doesn't talk a lot so hearing him say "fucker" causes me to snicker. He smiles and shakes his head. "I was coming down here to say that your mother and Mr. Parker have arrived."

I stop breathing and turn to Christian. He sighs, "He's probably not letting her out of his sight either… you can't blame him."

"Make this quick," I plead with him, "Please."

We both head back upstairs, and when we get close to the kitchen, I hear my mother's voice. My blood instantly runs cold.

"You're just the most beautiful little girl I have ever seen… Grandma loves you," Carla coos at Josephine, "Oh Gail, she has the pink baby girl smell… just like Anastasia had when she was a baby."

"Don't do what you're about to do," Christian whispers to me as I walk into my kitchen. Too late. I am sure my expression is murderous because Gail looks suddenly guilty as she sees my entrance. She is standing over my mother, with Jonas on the other side, and Carla is holding Josephine in her arms.

Carla looks up at me, and her face falls. "Gail, do I need to make my daughter a proscribed holder list?" I snarl at both of them. Carla blanches as if I smacked her.

Gail quickly takes Josephine out of her arms, and brings her to me. "I'm so sorry Mrs. Grey," Gail apologizes as she passes her off to me, "I didn't think…"

I feel bad for making Gail feel like that, but I really don't want Carla to hold my daughter. "Be nice," Christian whispers in my ear as he motions for Carla to follow him. She dejectedly gets up from the table and follows Christian into the meeting area that him and Welch set up for her.

I am left with Jonas. He doesn't look happy with me, but I don't care. This is awkward, Jonas and I have never had a conversation, and he seems to be visibly angry with me.

"Have you eaten?" I eventually ask as I pull out a bottle for Josephine.

He nods, seeming to lose an inner battle with himself, "Yeah."

We sit in silence for several more moments before I feel the need to finally defend my actions. "Do you hate me?" I ask him, feeding my daughter as we talk.

"No, I understand your resistance," he says, finally taking a seat across the table from me, "But I think you're being too hostile with her… that little scene a few minutes ago was unnecessary, she just wanted to hold her."

I nod, quickly taking in his features. He is quite attractive, looking much like George Clooney's long lost cousin. His dark blue eyes are fixed on me, examining me as much as I am examining him.

"What's your issue Ana?" he finally asks after a moment of silence.

"A lot," I feel jump out of my mouth, "I feel suffocated." I am shocked with the words I am using, but they make sense. I feeling like I am being forced to recognize her as my mother and love her just because she is back. I can't do that right now, I'm not wired that way.

He nods, "I get it… this is a lot."

We sit in silence for a while longer, and eventually Josephine falls asleep. We both watch her as she breathes in and out peacefully, and I swear I see a smile cross his lips.

"She hasn't stopped talking about you and Gen since we met," he whispers to me, "And I know she hasn't stopped thinking about you… and hasn't stopped wondering if you're ok."

"Why?" I ask him, still gazing at my sleeping daughter.

"She gets it Ana…. She understands the role you've had to play. And it's been like an anchor on her heart… I think that's why she is so fond of Christian," he whispers as I finally meet his gaze, "Because he gave you back what you lost when she left. He gave you the life she was never able to give you. She feels like she owes him the world for that…"

I nod at his words when something suddenly catches my eye in the distance. I continue to stare as Jonas turns to follow my gaze. When the object of our curiosity increases in size, Sawyer bursts into the room.

"Mrs. Grey… you need to go to the panic room - now."

Jonas helps me up and Gail gathers a few things from the kitchen before she follows us to the security office. Christian, Welch, and Carla quickly follow and Christian moves quickly to me. In his eyes I feel a sense of determined terror, and I know he won't even think twice about putting himself in harms in order to protect Jo and me. I would give anything to convince him to stay with us.

"I love you," he whispers, "We'll get these fuckers."

"What the hell was that?" I ask as Taylor continues to usher us to the panic room.

"Fire," Sawyer breathes in shock, "They've torched the entire front gate. I've never seen anything like it."

A flash of fear moves through my veins and Christian kisses me again. "It will be ok, just keep my daughter and my wife safe."

Taylor opens the door to the panic room and my Mom and Jonas climbs in. "Ana, I can take Josephine," Jonas says, reaching his arms for me.

Christian leans over and gently kisses his daughter. I kneel over and carefully hand her over to Jonas. I turn back and he kisses me quickly. He squeezes my hand before I begin my descent into the panic room.

"I love you Christian," I say before Taylor shuts the door.

I see the tears well in his eyes before he speaks, "458824."

**A/N – Check your phones to understand what that number means. Thanks for reading – please review if you so choose. **


	26. Burning Down the House

**A/N1 – For everyone who has asked - ****5657 - JO GR - for Josephine Grey  
458824 - I luv AG - I love Ana Grey. Sorry for the confusion! I hope you enjoy this new chapter! **

**Chapter 26 – Burning Down the House **

**Ana**

** When we reach the bottom, Jonas quickly hands me Josephine and I place in the code. **Jonas opens the door and ushers us in quickly. I feel myself exhale deeply as the large metal door closes behind us. The temporary relief is quickly replaced with panic. Those fuckers set fire to our entire front gate, and now a wall of fire stands between my husband and danger.

"Ana," I hear my Mom whisper beside me, "I know you may not like the idea, but I can put the baby in the crib for you…?"

I quickly glance down at Josephine, and I realize I am probably clutching her too tightly. Josephine doesn't notice; my little angel is still fast asleep. I should probably do what my Mom says and place her in the crib that Daddy purchased for her, but I need her now. I selfishly need to hold on to my daughter. She is my life and my family and right now – the other half of me is away from my grasp and in harm's way.

When I feel a sob exit my throat, Carla places her hand on my back. "Honey, put her in her crib," she whispers as she leaves a soft kiss on my temple, "It's going to be ok…. He is going to be ok."

After a split second of comfort, I instantly feel uncomfortable that I let my guard down with her. I quickly rush to the crib and place my sleeping daughter inside. Carla watches me intently as I sit at the foot of the crib. I don't know where else I'd rather be – I need to be as close to Josephine as possible.

"Ana," Carla hums, "At least lie down on the bed. The floor is hard, and we don't know how long we'll be here."

I don't know what made it start, but I know I couldn't stop it once it reached the surface. It was like a waterfall that couldn't be contained. I surrendered to my grief as my brain realized a possible truth. My husband, the love of my fucking life, walked into danger tonight and there is a chance I might never see him again.

**My eyes open instantly in reaction to the touch I feel on my forehead. **The softness on my back reminds me that I eventually ended up on the bed. I look forward and Gail is holding Josephine, and feeding her a bottle. I look slightly to my right and I see my mother sitting over me and running her hand through my hair.

"Whenever you'd get panicked or upset as a little girl, I would do this and it would calm you instantly," Carla says fondly, "Looks like even though you aren't six and up all night with ear aches, it still works." I don't even know how to react to that sentiment. It's nice that she cares, but I just don't know how to handle her anymore.

If I am thinking about this logically - I am split eighty-twenty. Eighty percent of me is angry that she is back, and trying to be my mother again. I've gone through a lot of shit and I have had to grow up a lot without her. She hasn't been forthcoming as to why she didn't let us come with her. Obviously she assumed we were safer and we would have a better life without her. I don't quite understand why she wanted to come back and why she wants to be a part of my life now.

She has a lot to prove to me, and that starts with the fuckers outside. She could quite possibly be the reason they are out there, and if anything happens to Christian – I don't think I could ever forgive her. Even if this isn't her fault, I know my broken hearted brain wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

I need to move on from this. "How long have I been asleep?"

Gail looks up, "Fifteen, twenty minutes."

I take in a deep breath and try to calm my anxiety. "Ana…. ," Carla says as she rubs my back, "Are you ok?"

I shake my head, "No, I'm not ok…. if something happens to him…."

She nods, as if she understands, "I know."

I shake my head at her, "I don't think you do." I don't want her anymore, I want my daughter.

"Gail, can you bring her over here?" I ask as she nods. Josephine must have woken up to eat, but now is nodding back off into sleep.

Gail hands her to me, and I place her next to me on the bed. Mom moves away and takes a seat next to Jonas on the couches. I maneuver so I can fit her on the bed with me. I know it isn't safe to sleep with her in bed, but I need her next to me. I need to know that she is in my arms and is ok. Gail moves to a vacant couch and lies down as well.

I sit in silence for a bit longer – maybe ten to fifteen minutes. Watching my daughter's small chest rise and fall is the only thing keeping me sane. I need to stay calm and collected for this sweet little person who needs me, and who I love to no end.

After twenty more minutes of peace, my mother's voice breaks through the silence. "I don't even know where to begin with you Anastasia," she whispers, "I knew Genevieve would be the easiest to reach, she doesn't remember as much – she didn't have as much responsibility on her shoulders, and it kills me that I can do nothing to fix what has been broken. I hate those jackasses for killing your father, I hate that your father and I were so broken at the time of his murder that I have no idea what he did to make this happen. I hate them for putting my life through hell and keeping me from you and your sister at every possible turn. I hate this situation, and I wish it was different."

I tilt my head to meet her eye line. She meets me and smiles sadly. "Ana, I love you sweetheart. I've loved and thought about you and Gen every single day and I would do anything to get my little girl back…. I'm just so lost right now, I don't know what to do with you. It kills me that you hate me this much, it kills me that I can't even hold my granddaughter without upsetting you, it kills me that I might be the reason your life is in danger once again. I'm tired of running; I'm tired of walking on egg shells….. I just want my family back."

We gaze at each other for a moment and I set my head back down. She just left it all out on the table, and I cannot just ignore that. She's trying – she may not be trying the way I want her to try, but she is doing it regardless.

"Mommy?" I ask, suddenly surprised by the tone in my voice.

Carla chokes back a small sob before she begins to speak. "Yes baby…"

"I just need…." I whisper out while gazing at my daughter, "Time. This is weird for me, and I don't know how to act or how to feel. I… need… time."

I hear her take in a deep sigh from across the room. "I understand."

I know this next request I can easily do myself, but I know how bad she wants this. "Mom, can you do a favor for me?"

"Anything."

"Can you put your granddaughter back in her crib for me," I whisper as I leave a small kiss on her forehead.

Mom immediately gets up and walks for the bed. She smiles down at me and my sleeping child and very gently picks her up. She carries her to her crib, and places her inside. The smile on her face breaks my heart – I should have just let Carla hold her earlier today.

She comes back and lies down next to me. "Sleep Ana," she tells me, "He is going to be ok…."

"How do you know what," I ask her.

"Because he loves you more then you father loved me. He deserves to be able to come back home and protect his family…"

With those gentle words, I fall peacefully back to sleep.

**Christian**

** It takes all the control I have to walk away from the panic room. **I keep reminding myself that they'll be safe, and I can deal with this issue without worrying about them. Ana is going to have a lot of extra time with her parents tonight, but I think this will be good for her. My wife is quite stubborn, and she sometimes needs a push in the right direction. I wouldn't know anything about being stubborn.

We walk back through the house and I can see the fire from miles away. It is slowly moving across our fence, and I am silently hoping it doesn't hit the house. I'm not knowledgeable on how fire travels, but I know there is a chance it could catch on the guest quarters, or even Taylor and Gail's home. 

Sawyer is a ball of anxiety, and I quickly find out why. "Our front gate security is gone sir," Sawyer stammers out, "The entire team."

I feel my stomach tie in knots, and I immediately turn to Taylor. "Well, they have one as a hostage… Matthews. They want to talk to you."

"What?" I hiss.

"They're using him as leverage sir," Taylor says point blank, "They say if we don't come out there to talk, they'll kill him."

"Christ," Sawyer hisses, "If we walk out there, it is suicide."

"Have we called any outside help?" I ask my team.

Taylor nods, "The SWAT Team is on their way…. The Fire Department is behind them. If you walk out there, you'll have them out here soon after…"

"Do you actually think it's a good idea for Grey to go out there?" Sawyer snaps at Taylor, "This is fucking ridiculous."

At that moment, a security team member that I don't recognize enters the room. "Sir, you need to come see this," he says frantically, "They have an amplification system and they are asking for Mr. Grey." We move closer to the front doors and I hear it easily over the raging fire.

"Mr. Grey," the amplified voice requests, "Come out, come out wherever you are…."

Welch shakes his head, "I don't recognize that voice; they are using something to alter it."

"Mr. Grey," I hear a frantic voice replace the sinister one, "Mr. Grey, don't come out here, please its fine…."

"Fuck," Sawyer hisses, "Matthews." While it's Matthew's job to protect me, and put his life on the line – I hate that he is being used as a pawn in their scheme to get to me and that his life is actually on the line.

"Come out, Mr. Grey…." The voice repeats, "Don't be a pussy… we have business to discuss."

The terrorist at my gate begins to cackle like a medicated hyena, and I want nothing more than to slice that fucker in half. Suddenly, I hear a helicopter begin its descent onto my front yard, and I see men jump to the ground and run for the entrance.

"It's about time," Taylor hisses as the SWAT team enters my home.

"Mr. Grey," the first man says, "The Fire department is waiting in the wings, they want to make sure they are gone before they can get to work."

Welch hisses, "It really won't matter once the fire is gone. The fire surely would have melted away the fence by now, and they could get in easily anyway…."

Fuck, that didn't even occur to me. "We'll build another fence Grey," Welch assures me in a whisper, "A bigger one…. And we'll call them in the middle of the night if that's what it takes."

The SWAT Team member continues, "We have another team established outside the perimeters, on my word – they will pounce."

"Do you have a number of how many people are located outside?" Taylor asks, "Our team was never able to get an estimate."

The man nods, "Ten to Fifteen…. All dressed in coats and all wearing masks. A few of them have machine guns, but those are for the members who are trying to keep people like me away from them…."

The man is interrupted by another call from the outside, "Mr. Grey…. I am getting impatient. The sooner you speak with my team, the faster we'll leave."

I look over at Sawyer and Taylor, "I don't believe him."

Taylor takes in a deep breath, "Mr. Grey, now that the SWAT Team has arrived…. I suggest they usher you outside to see what they want."

"I am not going to give in to terrorist's requests," I snap.

"I think you're running out of options," Taylor fires back, "It's either that or have those fuckers stand outside your home all night."

"There is no guarantee they'll leave…"

"We are prepared for all possible options," he tells me, "We'll be able to handle any other issues that may arise. If they have a plan to enter the premises, we'll be ready…"

"Mr. Grey," the SWAT Team member interrupts, "In most terrorist situations, these are usually just be middle men…. Men chosen to do the dirty work of their bosses…. We have bigger guns then they do – they'll leave at the first sign of force."

"Shit," I breathe as I run my hands through my hair, "I hate this whole fucked up situation."

"Mr. Grey," Taylor whispers, "Our team will secure the house - The SWAT team will take care of you… it will be fine."

"Is Mrs. Grey in the house?" The SWAT Team member asks, looking around my home, "Is she secured."

"Mrs. Grey is my responsibility," Sawyer snaps at him as he nods at me, "You take him outside and do your job." Thank fuck Sawyer shot him down. I feel a slight twinge of pride for my wife's security detail.

"I'm waiting…." The sinister voice demands again.

"Alright," I say, turning to the SWAT team members in my home, "Let's go."

**My lawn seems like a football field as I walk towards my front gate. **I had no idea our front yard and meadow were this expansive. No wonder Ana loves it out here so much. There is a small patch cleared in the fire and I see a large man in a coat waiting with Matthews. They obviously beat the shit out of Matthews, and the man has a gun pressed against his skull. Fuck.

"Mr. Grey," the man says to me, "So nice of you to join us." The voice is even more disgusting in person. Obviously this fucker wanted to conceal his identity, but he sounds like a character out of a Batman movie.

"What do you want?" I snap at him, "What do I have to say to get you off my fucking property."

He cackles, "Well, we have lots to go over…. My team has a lot that we need to make clear to you."

"And what is that?" I snap. The SWAT Team is at inch of my side, ready to shoot at a moment's notice. I usually don't like guns being used for anything, but right now – I don't really give a fuck.

"To destroy you…"

The SWAT Team instantly becomes even tenser at his words. Their guns are all pointed at the thing in front of me, ready to kill a moment's notice. He cackles at their reaction and shakes his head.

"No, we don't want to kill you Mr. Grey…" he laughs and shakes his head, "Tonight, we came to take your wife…"

My blood immediately runs colds as I feel my vision blur. He continues while I stew in my silent rage, "At a time in your life, Mr. Grey – you stole the life from a man. His very being and he has been relentless in his pursuit of you, but he isn't stupid. He understands that there are things in this world that you value more than your money, and your cars, and your businesses. He is the same way – you stole what was important to him…. So he wants to steal what is most important to you…"

"But I don't understand…." I whisper, surprising myself with my own speech, "Why have you gone after my sister-in-law, and my mother-in-law…."

"The attack on your mother-in-law was retribution from another man who has wronged my employer. Your sister-in-law was just to send a message… that we are here, and we won't be leaving anytime soon…."

The team around me doesn't move, but waits for my signal. I can't even think, I can barely breathe – I have no instructions for them. I don't know what to do, we thought this was about Carla for so long, but really – they wanted me. They want Ana because of something I did. Fuck.

He drops Matthews and immediately shoots him. I jump at the sound of the gun and he turns to walk away. "We'll be leaving now," he says, "It was an honor to meet the infamous Christian Grey." He laughs mockingly as he makes his exit.

"Mr. Grey," a member of the team whispers in my ear, "The team on the other end will get them when they leave…. They'll stop them."

A thought immediately enters my brain that chills me. "They aren't the end…. There will be more – just like them. This isn't over; it's not close to being over…."

As the words exit my lips, I feel my legs give out and I drop to the ground. For the third time in my life, I feel absolutely and utterly helpless.

**Ana**

** I feel lips on my forehead, and my eyes flutter open. **Two grey eyes stare back at me, and I practically lunge myself at him. He snickers as he kisses me softly on my neck.

"Hi," he breathes.

"Hi," I say back, "Oh shit, are we alone?"

He laughs, "With the exception of little nugget, it's just us. Your Mom and Jonas have been relocated."

I take in a deep breath and grab on to both sides of his face, "Did everything get worked out…. Is our fence a wreck?"

"They're working on rebuilding a new fence as we speak," he answers, a small flash of anxiety crosses his features, "And we…. Are leaving."

"Leaving?" What is he talking about?

He nods, "Only Taylor knows the location… you, me, and the baby are leaving. The whole family will relocate next…. Until we are all out of Seattle."

I immediately sit up, unable to control the panic growing in my chest. "Why are we leaving?"

He takes in a deep breath, "It isn't safe here for you anymore, or the baby…. we need to go until the authorities can figure this out."

"I'm so confused," I plead, "What happened tonight?"

He sits quietly, silently warring with himself on what to say next. "Ana…." He sighs, "Tonight, they threatened you."

I feel my eyes bug out of my skull, "What?"

"They never wanted your Mom…. Well, they did, but they didn't explain why. I am their target. They were here tonight because of something I did… because of a man I wronged. Apparently, I wronged the man in charge of the fucking Seattle Mafia…."

"Why did they threaten me?"

"Because you are the one person in my life I can't live without," he says immediately without question, "Fuck, it's brilliant for them. You're the one piece they can use to torture me. You're it."

"I don't think this is a good idea…." I whisper, still trying to comprehend what he is saying to me.

A sudden sob escapes his throat and I see the desperation in his eyes. "I don't know what else to do."

He his breaking my heart, and I don't know how to comfort him. Leaving Seattle will help him feel better now, but I don't think this will help in the long run. It didn't help my mother, and I don't think it will help us either.

"Baby… we can't run."

He closes his eyes and shakes his head, "They'll kill you if we stay…"

A sharp pain of anxiety hits me. "If we run, they'll figure it out… we can't all relocate. It's not logical. I don't know Christian, something tells me we can't run…"

"Why?" he asks.

"Because, we have to stay and fight this... I don't care, this is our home and our life – we'll figure out a way."

He takes an exasperated breath and falls backward on the bed. "… If I lose you," he whispers.

"You aren't going to lose me," I tell him; "If it gets bad… then we can run – but not a minute before."

He rubs his eyes and shakes his head, "Security will be everywhere…."

"I know…"

He moves his hands away from his eyes. "We fight?"

I try to stay confident through my crippling anxiety. I nod, "We fight…."

**A/N2 – THANKS FOR READING! You guys are the best. Please leave reviews if you so choose to do so (but please do – I like them). I don't own FSOG – I am just putting EL's characters in peril for my own weirdo amusement…. Lol (that was sarcastic). **

**I don't know what I'll be working on next – My other two stories need attention so I'll try to update one of those if I can. Thanks for being supportive readers – I like you guys. **


	27. The Past vs The Future

**A/N – Alright guys, I am calling out my lurkers – please, pretty please leave a review! I'm not too proud to beg…. It helps me know where I need to go next.**

**Ok, that's all. I don't own FSOG. There is a flash forward that will bring us one and a half years ahead in time, and then we'll go back to the present. You know me, I love a good flasher. Lol. The ending of this flash forward will conclude in another chapter.**

**Chapter 27 – The Past vs. the Future **

**One and a half (ish) years later**

**Christian **

** As soon as I walk into my house, I immediately enter chaos. **I hear running and screaming, and I know that noise is coming from my almost two year old daughter.It usually takes an act of Congress to get that girl quiet for even a minute, so I am surprised she hasn't agitated her little brother yet. Gail suddenly appears in the hallway with my nine month old son in her arms. His brown hair and blue eyes smile as he squirms for me. He looks just like his mother, while his older sister unfortunately looks just like me.

"Hey Buddy," I say as he grasps on to me, "How was your day Benny boy?"

I give him a kiss on the forehead as I turn my attention to Gail, "I hear my daughter…. I just can't see my daughter."

Gail snickers as she turns backwards, "Josephine Grace…. Your Father would like to see you."

I hear Josephine's steps moving toward the top of the stairs, and Josephine smiles brightly when she sees me. "DADDY!" she squeals as she toddles down the stairs.

"Careful baby," I tell her as I kneel down. Once she reaches the bottom, she rushes to me and throws her tiny arms around me and her brother.

"Daddy, I miss you," she beams as I give her several kisses.

"Jo," Bennett says as he reaches for her. She swats him back and he instantly begins to cry.

"Josephine Grace," I scold, "What have we told you about hitting your brother?"

She pouts and shakes her little head. I hear Gail hold back a chuckle in the background as Josephine turns angrier over the incident. She storms off and Gail laughs even harder.

"You have a firecracker with that one, Mr. Grey… she is a mess."

"The terrible twos," I say, shaking my head incredulously, "Thank you for taking them all day…"

She smiles sadly, "Not a problem, Mr. Grey. It's my job."

I take in a deep breath, "We probably need to get going soon. I want to go before it is gets dark, and the kids really need to see Ana…"

She nods, "I'll help you get them out the door… would you like me to call your sister-in-law?"

"Yes," I say, rocking Bennett back and forth, "We are all going to need Genevieve today…"

**Ana – Present Time**

** I didn't realize until this morning that Christian had a "conference room" installed in the bottom floor of our home**. The room is stiff and feels completely different than the rest of the house, but it is here and I am glued to my seat while I wait for our guests. Well – just our one guest. If this wasn't under unfortunate circumstances, I would be in hysterics by now. Christian has been ordered by Welch to confront his ex-girlfriend, a woman he can't stand – It's slightly funny.

"Do you really have to smile like that?"

"Smile like what?" I ask my husband. He is relaxed in a white button up and faded jeans with his hair messy and sexy. Even with everything going on – he still looks immaculate.

"You're smiling like you're going to make fun of me for the next two hours," he jokes back.

"I'm sorry…. You totally deserve this…. You were the one who almost married Dianna Foster." He groans and I cannot help my laughter.

"Actually," Welch says as he enters the room, "It is Dianna Foster Hyphen King."

"Did she marry Burger?" I ask jokingly.

"Actually," I hear a voice down the hall, "I married David King – Clive Davis's right hand man… You know Clive - he owns RCA Records and is one of the most respected names in the music industry…"

Dianna Foster- King steps into the room, and I can't help but shake my head at how ridiculous she looks. Her hair is up in a bun, she looks like she's been in a tanning booth all week, and I know her dress must be Chanel. She got what she wanted out of life – a rich husband who was able to get her a spot on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Dianna and Adrianne got in a really nasty fight last week; it was one of the show's highest rated episodes.

"Hi Dianna," I say politely as Welch closes the door behind her.

"Ana," she nods politely back as she takes a seat. "I've seen the news, and I know why I have been called here…"

"You do?" Christian asks.

She nods, "Assumptions are running wild across the news outlets, and you're going to ask me if I am the cause of all of this, and I promise I am not."

"What about your father?" Welch asks her, "He is out of jail…"

"And he is spending his time out of the slammer in St. Lucia with his new twenty two year old girlfriend…. I promise you he isn't involved," she tells us.

Dianna's father was placed in jail soon after he was caught stealing from Christian. He was recently released for good behavior, and no one has heard from him or Carrick. As much as I don't trust Dianna's family, I believe Dianna when she says he isn't involved.

Welch snorts, "Explains why I haven't been able to contact him…."

She nods at us, "I hate you both, I'll swear it on my mother's grave, but I wouldn't purposely do harm to a family. Christian and Ana have a kid… I wouldn't ever threaten the life of someone's mother."

"You threatened the life of Adrianne Morris," I shoot back jokingly.

She bursts into laughter, "Well she deserved it…. Her and her nasty Grinch face."

I usually don't watch trash television, but with the current lock down I am under – that's all I have been able to do. She smiles and shakes her head.

"I'm very happy…. David is good to me, we have beautiful children, and we live a very full life," she says with a nod, "I am sure you two are as happy as we are - congratulations on your daughter… she is beautiful."

I nod, "Thank you Dianna."

It's in this moment that I remember why we were friends in the first place. She can be a good person given the right opportunity – and maybe with a few moons lining up in the right way for added help. Motherhood must have calmed down my former best friend. I quickly remember her television persona on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and I can't help but laugh.

"What?" she asks curiously.

I snort, "You are ruthless on that show…. Yet you are being so nice right now."

She laughs, "I have to channel my aggression somewhere…."

**Welch escorts Dianna out of my home as Genevieve enters it. **I remember very quickly why I called my sister over here. Being on lockdown has made a few requests awkward, so I asked my sister for her help on one small issue.

Her eyes are wide when we meet in the living room. "Dianna Foster?"

"We are ruling out all possible suspects," I tell her as I grab the brown paper bag out of her hand.

"Apparently," she snickers.

"Let's go to my room," I say as we walk down the hall.

"Lead the way."

Once we are in the bathroom, I pull out a pregnancy test and take in a deep breath. I never expected to get pregnant this quickly after having my first child. I know that I have always wanted two kids with him, but I am not sure if I am ready quite yet for baby number two. Especially with all the drama and terrorists threats, I don't want to bring a child into the world under those conditions.

I am thankful for Genevieve and her discreetness. I quickly take the test while my sister sits across our bathroom and admires our new sinks. I feel bad; Gen and I haven't spoken much since her accident and the attack on our house last night. I sit the test on the counter and take a seat next to my sister.

"How's it going?" I ask as she giggles.

"Things are alright, I feel like I am healing from the accident every day…" she says, looking at me with concerned eyes, "How are you?"

I snort, "Terrified…. For me, Christian, and Jo…. plus the possible second child I am carrying in my stomach."

"What caused the unexpected pregnancy?" she asks, obviously not wanting to talk about why I am terrified.

"Well…. After the report on the nightly news about our attack, I found out that the birth control that I am taking has been recalled."

"That's what happened with Ireland," she snorts, "Gotta love it."

"How are you doing?" I ask her, "With Elliot, and the extra security…"

"The extra security is fine…. I think that we are fortunate to actually get security – but I guess few normal people are actually put in this situation," she says with a sigh, "And Elliot and I are better… we're going to see a marriage counselor…"

I feel my eyebrows raise, "A Marriage counselor?"

She nods, "We need the help right now. We have three kids, one of those kids is turning into a teenager right before our eyes and we both aren't emotionally ready to handle a teenager…"

"Makes sense…. That's why most people have teenagers when they are older…"

She nods, "Yeah, I guess. And Elliot and I are changing and I think we just haven't adapted to that very well…"

The sadness in her expression breaks my heart so I pull her closer as we wait for the results. It feels like an eternity since we've had sister time, and I've missed her. If I am pregnant, I silently wonder if I am going to have a sister for my little girl.

"Ana," she says quietly, "We need to break up."

I giggle at her word choice, "Break up?"

She sighs, "The therapist brought up an interesting point…. She says I talk to you more about my problems then I do my husband."

I look down at her as she smiles sadly. I suddenly realize that she's right. I do that all the time. We come to each other with our insecurities and our deepest fears instead of the two people who need to know that information the most. That is why Christian gets easily mad when Gen knows pieces of information before he does.

"Fuck."

"I know," she says with a sigh, "We need to break up. We can talk…. But we need to talk to Elliot and Christian more."

I snort, "Wow, this therapy is helping."

She smiles and nods her head, "The sex has never been better…"We both giggle like we're five at her comment. "Oh and Elliot wants to get a penis piercing."

I am not drinking anything, but still do a spit take. "What the hell? I thought we weren't going to talk like that…."

She laughs, "Over important things…. we can totally discuss what my husband wants to do with his genitalia."

"Ew Gen," I shiver with disgust, "That's gross."

"I hear it feels amazing," she tells me, "He wants to do it to improve our sex life…"

"Jesus H Christ, I thought Christian and I were bad…."

"Oh no," she tells me, holding up both hands, "Don't lump me and Elliot in the same group with you two – does your husband still flog you during sex?" I am sure I am as bright as a Strawberry. She laughs and pats me on the back. "We can't out weird Ana and Christian – the strange sex champions."

The timer goes off and we both brace ourselves as Genevieve reaches for the pregnancy test. She looks at it, and then hands it to me. I look at her hesitantly and she is giving nothing away. I look down at the test and I feel my stomach drop.

"You're having a baby…" Gen tells me weakly.

My husband has been threatened by terrorists; I am trying to protect my three month old daughter, my life is constantly in peril, and I am having another baby….

Fuck.

**Genevieve and I exit the bathroom after I dry off my tears. **I am so excited about this baby, but I don't want him or her to come into this world while all of this is happening. I don't have one baby to protect anymore, I have another one too.

I guess I am not paying any attention to where I am walking because as soon as we enter the living room, Genevieve practically pushes me back. If she could hiss like a cat, I know she would. When I see why she is responding this way, I feel my blood run cold.

"Well, well, well, it's good to see my daughter-in-laws once again…."

"Hello Carrick," Genevieve snaps and points to the blonde in the back, "How was your trip to the middle school? You found a pretty one…"

Carrick growls and I feel myself fill with anxiety. Carrick is here…. Fuck.


	28. The Short List

**A/N – WOW! Thank you for the responses on the last chapter! You guys are the best…. This new chapter will hopefully answer some questions and most likely give you more. **

**I wanted to post tonight, but the only way I could do that is if it was a shorter chapter…. So here it is. I need to get this out of my brain! AH! Lol. I don't own FSOG! And thank you again for all of your support! Lol I have the best lurkers around…. Lol. **

**Chapter 28 – The Short List**

**Ana**

Carrick shakes his head and smiles. "I come in peace…. I promise."

"You do?" Gen snorts, shaking her head in exasperation, "How could anyone believe that?"

"Despite what you think Miss Steele…."

"It's Mrs. Grey to you," Genevieve snaps at our estranged father-in-law, "And since I have done nothing, but love your son and give him the family he deserves – I expect a little bit more respect from you".

I can't help but smirk at their exchange. Carrick hated me, so I know he loathed my sister. It must feel good to be able to address him like this.

He nods, "That you have…. and I am here to make sure both families stay intact."

"Why would we believe anything you have to say," I shoot back, "You almost stole Christian's company…."

"I may cheat and steal, but what both families are going through now is something I would never want for my kids...… both of my sons…"

Christian snorts and shakes his head, "Mom has handled being mother and father quite nicely, you'll never measure up."

"Both of my sons are fathers now…. I don't want that taken away from them," Carrick continues, "I may be a bastard, but I care about you two…"

Christian laughs again, "That's a joke…."

"I have a list," he says to Christian, "Of people I've complied who could possibly have done this. These are the people who have the man power and means to orchestrate something so elaborate and costly. If you pissed somebody off – you pissed somebody off on this list. The mob is more common in this town then people realize."

Christian's expression quickly changes its tune. He's suddenly very interested in what his Dad has to say…. And so am I.

Christian grabs the list, looks through it, and hands it to Welch. "There are over a hundred names on that list…"

Carrick nods, "And that may not be everybody. There are a few men who really don't put their names out there and place enough money in other men who can do the dirty work for them…. Those fuckers are the hardest to track down."

Welch nods and investigates the list, "You're right, but sometimes you can find a missing link – the missing person who brings us to the main guy…. It's genius. This list is great – thank you."

Carrick nods and stands up, "Stephanie, it's time to go…"

The young blonde gets up from her chair and grabs Carrick's arm. Christian shakes his head at the sight, and I definitely feel what Christian is thinking. I don't know who that chick is, but I know the only thing she is interested in is Carrick Grey's money.

"Have you talked to Grace?" Christian asks him suddenly.

A myriad of emotions sweep across Carrick's face before he settles on tense. "Your mother wants less to do with me then you do…" he says sadly, "I do miss her, even though she hates me." Carrick's date Stephanie scowls at the mention of my mother-in-law. Maybe she is more emotionally invested in Carrick then I realized…. But it's probably his money.

"At least try…" Christian tells him, "You tell her that you helped us out, maybe she'll listen to you."

Carrick nods, waves goodbye to our group, and quickly departs. Once he is gone, Christian walks over and wraps his arms around me. He leaves small kisses in my hair and I take in a deep sigh. Suddenly, I remember my surprise pregnancy and the doctor's appointment that has to happen sooner than later.

"Christian…." I tell him, "I need to make a doctor's visit in the near future."

He looks down at me with a confused expression, "Why? Are you sick? You don't seem sick…"

I take in a deep breath and look over at Genevieve. She nods at me, silently encouraging me to tell him that I am pregnant with our second child. I take in another deep breath and give myself a moment to come up with the right words.

"It's just a routine checkup…" I say shaking my head, "No need to worry…"

"Thank God," he breathes, "We are already stressed as it is…. I would hate to add an illness to that list."

I place my head in crook of his neck and I see my sister shaking her head in the kitchen and mouthing the word "chicken".

I nicely mouth back, "Shut up Genevieve."

**And by popular demand….. I was going to wait to post another part. **

**Christian – One and a half years later**

** "Are you saying what I think you're saying?" I gasp as I slam my hand into the dashboard.**

I hear a tiny gasp in the backseat. "Daddy!" Josephine squeals.

I turn to face my daughter, "I'm sorry baby." I hate when I scare my kids like that – I've done that to Jo more times than I am proud to count.

"I'm sorry Christian," Flynn says, "I tried to move her from that spot but she wouldn't budge…"

"Where are you now?" I ask him.

"At the gate, she is in my eye-sight."

We pull immediately up to the front gate, and I can see Flynn clearly in view. He nods at me as I jump out. I walk over, and suddenly – he looks at me with shock.

"You brought the kids?"

"I didn't think she'd be in this state," I tell him, "They haven't seen her in a week, and they need their Mom."

He nods as he turns his gaze. I follow it, and I see my wife. Her legs are pulled against her chest, her face pale and beautiful blue eyes distraught. I feel my heart break, she doesn't look good. She looks as devastated as when I left her under Flynn's care on Monday.

"She hasn't moved?" I ask him.

He shakes his head, "I couldn't even get her to eat…"

"Fuck," I breathe, "Flynn…. This can't be good for the baby…."

He nods, "That's what I keep telling her…. She's aloof, Christian."

"Do you think there is something worse psychologically…. Post-partum, possibly?" I ask him, un-encouraged by my wife's progress.

"I think she is suffering from deep despair, and she doesn't know how to handle the emotion along with her other emotions…."

I run my hands through my hair as I try to think of what to do. It has been a year since all of this ended, and whenever I think she is getting better – she takes a turn. I don't know what to do anymore, and our kids need their mother. This new baby needs its mother too, and she isn't taking care of herself like she needs to. I almost wish the mafia was following us again – that was less terrifying.

"I should have never given her a week to herself…."

Flynn shakes his head, "It started well – I thought she might actually be accepting what happened.…. But I don't know what happened."

I hear the sound of car tires behind me, and I turn to see my brother and sister-in-law drive up. They both quickly exit, Elliot holding a squirming Ireland and his hand firmly placed in Rocky's small palm. Genevieve is free to roam and comes to stand by me. Her eyes are wide and tired – it's the same look I have seen on my wife over the past year.

"I'll talk to her," Genevieve says, her voice small, "Bennett and Josephine miss her – she needs to quit dwelling."

"Gen," Flynn says, grabbing on to her arm, "How are you?"

She takes in a deep breath, "I'm surviving…."


	29. Topics to Avoid at a Dinner Party

**Chapter 29 – Topics to Avoid at a Dinner Party **

**Genevieve **

** "Mom, I think I want to get pink streaks in my hair."**

I whip around to my oldest and examine her beautiful blonde tresses. She is seated on the floor, and straightening her hair with my flat iron. Her normally curly blonde hair is nearly straight and she looks so grown up. She's not my baby anymore, and it breaks my heart slightly. Hayden has a mischievous thirteen year old smile plastered on her face, and I know my reaction will determine how she reacts…. _Oh, the joys of parenting a teenager._

"I don't think that fancy private school Daddy pays for will let you do that," I tell her as I pull out my mascara.

She sighs, "I'll look so cool with them on…. Rachel told me she'd be so jealous because she has brown hair and I have blonde…. Pink always looks better with blondes."

"Couldn't you have asked for them at the beginning of the summer? School is weeks away, and like I said –it wouldn't fly with the fancy private school you go to…."

Elliot walks in and smirks when he sees us. "There are my girls…" he says as he strides over for a kiss.

"Daddy, can I get pink streaks in my hair?" Hayden asks as we kiss.

He snorts, "Absolutely not."

` He leans over to hug his daughter and she nicely accepts. Hayden adores her Dad, but sometimes the need to act like a thirteen year old girl over powers her sense of family. I am glad she is choosing this moment to be the sweet girl we all love.

Elliot and I have been much closer since my accident, and with the added therapy that Elliot and I have been attending – we've been a tighter family unit than ever before. Even with the added threats to the people we love, we have never been stronger.

"Where is my Ireland?" Hayden asks. Hayden has been much more attached to Josephine since the girls have been born, but has recently been extra protective of her baby sister.

Elliot wraps his arms around me and kisses me again, "Downstairs with the nanny…. We'll be leaving soon."

Tonight, after weeks of silence from our pursuers, Ana and Christian have decided to have us over for dinner. Elliot was nervous about the idea of eating at their house, but with the added security, and the weeks of silence – I think it is time we all move on. We can't constantly live in fear; we need to continue on as normal. I haven't had much time with my sister recently so I think tonight's dinner party will be perfect.

She still hasn't told Christian about the baby, and I am hoping she will tonight. I think she's looking for the perfect moment, but really – she is just being a big freaking chicken.

"Ew, can you two stop kissing?" Hayden says as she jumps up, "I'll go take care of your children while you make out with each other…"

I whip around and plaster myself to Elliot. "Go for it kid…" I snort as I kiss my husband a second time.

Once Hayden is out of the room, I push Elliot on the bed and straddle his lap. I begin kissing and biting at his neck, eliciting a low moan from his lips. We haven't had sex since the whole Garrett debacle, and I have been very recently cleared by my doctor for physical activity.

I feel like we've started over. The accident really helped me see the affair with Garrett for what it really was – Genevieve being a big fucking dumbass. Almost losing Elliot and my life within a twenty four hour time period knocked me back to where I need to be. I can't lose my family; I love them too much to continue to be this selfish. The thought of losing Elliot or my kids, I can't even deal with that possibility. Thirteen years ago, I had a chance sexual situation with my future husband and the love of my life – I don't think you can get luckier than that.

"Fuck, we have to go," Elliot hisses as I grab for his erection.

"You know what would be hot," I breathe as I trail kisses down his neck.

"What would that be," he says hoarsely.

"If tonight we could fuck somewhere in Ana and Christian's house…"

His jaw drops and he shakes his head, "Baby, that's messed up."

"Or really, really hot…" I breathe as I kiss him again, "Just think about it." I jump off him and adjust my dress. He breathes a resigned sigh and I realize his erection is still awake and ready for me.

"I'm going to need a minute."

I snort as I walk out the room, "Sorry baby…"

**"This feels like a prison, or the White House," Hayden says as Elliot comes to a stop. **Security surrounds the SUV and we pull out our little ones from the car. Hayden grabs Ireland and Rocky quickly falls to my side. The security members escort us to the front, and my son looks terrified. He has looked this terrified all week; the extra security must be intimidating to a five year old.

When we enter the house, Christian is the first to greet us.

"We're glad you could make it," Christian says as the security team begins moving to their stations.

"I'm glad we could too," I say as I scan the room for my sister, "Where is my sis?"

Christian nods, "In Jo's room."

I take Ireland away from Hayden and make my way through the house to find my sister. When I enter Jo's bedroom, Ana is dressing her baby. Josephine smiles when she sees me

"She's smiling at me," I say as Ana looks up, "She loves her Aunt Gen Gen."

"Gen Gen?" Ana asks with a snort.

"That's what my sweet Jo Jo is going to call me when she can talk…" I inform her, "I need a good name like Nana…"

She snickers, "I'm not sure Gen Gen is a good name…. but who knows?" We hold Josephine and Ireland close together and the girls smile brightly at the other. _Oh, they're going to love each other when they get older. _

"So, how's the pregnancy going Mama," I say as I hold her stomach.

"It's fine," she sighs, "I've had morning sickness like crazy… It's been hard keeping it from Christian…"

I gasp, "Christian still doesn't know?"

"I want this to be perfect," she wines, "This one came into the world after his terrible reaction to the news that I was pregnant, and now with all that is going on – I want it to be a sweet surprise."

I eye her suspiciously, "There is something else…. I can feel it."

She sighs sadly, "He is so stressed out… with helping Welch and everything going on. He's worried and stressed, and I don't want to make this worse on him…."

"How is a baby making this worse?"

"He already has two lives to think about…. Along with his mom, Mia, and your family – but adding one more baby into the mix will just add to his stress…. I hate putting him through that," she says sadly, her eyes to the floor.

"Ana…" I say, lifting her chin, "This baby is coming and you can't stop it. I mean you could, but do you want to?"

She shakes her head adamantly. I nod in response, "So terrorists following you or not, this has to happen. He has to know… I'll keep it a secret because you want me to, but you have to tell him."

She nods again, "I will…"

**Ana **

** Dinner has gone very well, and everyone seems to be relaxed and enjoying each other's company. **This was my mission for tonight, so much has happened and I wanted a little fun with my family. Gail cooked an excellent Tex-Mex meal full of tacos, rice and beans, enchiladas, and margaritas. Of course, I've had to be very careful. Hayden and I have both been drinking virgin margaritas, hopefully no one has noticed.

As dinner continues, I notice Genevieve and Elliot looking at each other with salacious smiles. I catch Genevieve's eyes and I see her instantly blush. _What are they up to?_

"Nana," I feel Hayden huff from my side.

"Yes?" I ask, turning to my niece.

"I want pink streaks in my hair…"

Genevieve groans, "You have asked every member of our family about this…"

"Hayden, you just want to get them so you can impress your new boyfriend…."

All eyes look immediately to Hayden, and I suddenly realize that Hayden is glaring at me angrily. Oh shit, I wasn't supposed to talk about him, was I?

"You have a new boyfriend?" Elliot chokes out, "Who? After the incident at your birthday party…. You were told that you couldn't date until you were seventeen."

Hayden rolls her eyes, "That's a stupid rule. I'm not going to have a baby at sixteen so everyone calm down."

I think Genevieve is about to fly out of her chair. "That is not the point Hayden, and I really wish you wouldn't talk like that with your brother in the room…"

I look over at Rocky and see that Christian has his attention. Taylor found toy cars for my nephew and he is busily playing with them while Christian watches. Christian has been seriously aloof this evening, and I know this investigation is wearing on him. I wish we could go away and relax. I wish we could go to a deserted island with us and the baby, and just chill. I don't like when he's stressed, but if I am being real – he is always worried about something.

"Who is this new boyfriend?" Elliot asks, pushing me from my thoughts.

"Aunt Ana…. I can't believe you just told them that," she snaps at me.

"How did you know anyway?" Gen asks me.

"Hayden called and told me," I tell them all bluntly. Hayden has been calling me a lot lately, and telling me things she can't tell Gen. I need to be better about keeping my mouth shut or she won't tell me things like that again.

Genevieve sighs, "Well you definitely know that you aren't supposed to have a boyfriend, Hayden."

She groans, "God, I'm not a little kid anymore… I'm old enough to have a boyfriend."

"Not at thirteen you aren't," Elliot snaps back.

Suddenly, Christian's phone goes off and he checks it immediately. After a second of staring at his phone, he nods and moves from the table.

"I'm sorry, but I need to go to my study," Christian says as he moves to his office. He doesn't even look at me or say goodbye as he departs. Something is definitely wrong with my husband.

Genevieve shakes her head, "I need to go to the bathroom." As she leaves, Gail enters and begins cleaning the kitchen.

"Dad, you're being stupid about this…. I'm not going to make the same mistake as you and Mom made. You keep forgetting that I have lived with two newborns… they are cute, but annoying when you're trying to sleep," Hayden says as she stares at Ireland.

Her baby sister is sleeping soundly in her Daddy's arms, and I look down to look at my own baby girl. I am suddenly filled with excitement. I must be insane for having two small children this close in age, but I don't care – I love my baby and I'll love this new one too. Hopefully, Christian will take my announcement well and will not need to be checked into an insane asylum.

"Gail…," I blurt out, "Can you hold Josephine; I need to find my husband." She dutifully nods as she takes the baby from me.

"Hayden," Elliot says to his oldest, "Can you hold your sister…. I need to find your mother."

I stop in my tracks, "Why do you need to find Gen… she is in the bathroom."

"We need to talk," he tells me unconvincingly.

"About what?"

"Ummmm," he stutters, "Hayden's new boyfriend…"

Elliot takes off for the bathroom before I can ask him another question.

**When I enter Christian's office, Christian's eyes are plastered to the computer screen and I see small tears bordering the corners. **

"Christian?" I ask, surprised by the fact that he's crying.

He takes in a deep breath and wipes the excess tears, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

He turns the computer screen around and I freeze. My ultra sound from my last appointment is plastered across the screen, and I am stunned.

"Where did you find that?" I ask softly.

He shakes his head, "I guess I have been so absorbed with the investigation, I should have just asked you what your appointments with Dr. Greene were about. I had Welch look into it for me…"

"Welch stole my ultrasound photos?"

He nods, "You should have told me…."

"Christian, we've been so stressed with the investigation; I didn't want to add more to your pile right now. You already have me and Josephine to protect…. Now we're adding on something else…"

"Hey," he says, getting up from his desk, "Stop it. I'm really excited about this…"

"You are?"

"Well, ok I am terrified because you're right – this isn't the best time, but I don't care. I love you, I love our daughter, and I am going to love this new one. I didn't handle things so well the last time around, and I desperately want to make this up to you…" he says sincerely as he kisses my forehead, "Please, don't ever keep something from me like this again…. We're a team."

"That sure is the pot calling the kettle black…"

He looks at me with surprise, "What?"

"I know all of this is stressing you out, but you haven't said a word to me…" I tell him, "I know this situation scares you – but I'm a big girl, I can take it."

He shakes his head, "There is just nothing going on right now and I don't understand why… they were so adamant about their mission, and now they're dormant. I don't get it. The mob has me stumped…"

I shake my head, "Maybe it is to throw you off…. You have all the security in the world, and you're chasing after them…. Maybe they want to throw you off the scent by doing something unexpected."

He smiles, "Interesting through Mrs. Grey. I think our newest creation in there is making you smarter…"

I gasp, "I wasn't always smart?"

"You are smart," he points out jokingly, "But mostly just decorative."

** Once we return to the kids, it takes me about five minutes to realize that Genevieve and Elliot are missing. **Seconds after I come to that conclusion, my sister busts through the downstairs bathroom doors followed quickly by Elliot. They are both adjusting their clothes and Elliot has very obvious sex hair.

"What were you two doing?" I hiss at my sister. I look over at Christian and his murderous gaze is fixed on his brother. We both know EXACTLY what they were doing.

"I was showing Gen the bathroom I remodeled," Elliot says with a smirk, "It's nice and spacious… and the acoustics are terrible so I doubt you can hear anything going on inside…"

Gen and Elliot both smirk at each other, and I am in disbelief. I need to remember to pour bleach in that bathroom later.

Christian gets really close to Elliot's ear, "If you weren't here with your children, I'd kick you out so fast. If you fuck again in my house… I'll make sure you can't produce any more children or please Genevieve ever again…. Have I made myself clear?"

Genevieve and I are on our knees laughing before Elliot can even get out an answer.

**A/N – Thanks for reading! Next chapter, is where we take off – I just wanted a little something fun before we got into the nitty gritty. Let me know what you thought! I don't own FSOG…. I just use it for my own amusement. **


	30. The True Culprit

**A/N – I don't own FSOG. Alright, here is the chapter I have been waiting for since December… I hope you guys enjoy! PLEASE leave reviews and let me know what you think!**

**Chapter 30 – The True Culprit**

**Christian **

** It's been hours since I have said good night to my daughter and my wife. **My office is nearly dark and the only light in the room shines from my computer monitor.I feel my strength begin to wane and my eyes begin to get sore from the constant viewing of my computer. I need to go to bed, and I need to sleep next to my wife.

I hear a knock at my door and I lift my gaze to see Taylor waiting for me. "I was just about to go to bed…" I murmur to my second in command.

He takes in a deep breath, "We may have to stall that for a second…. You have a visitor, a visitor who claims to have information."

"Who?" Who would come to my home this late in the evening claiming to have information?

Taylor takes in a deep sigh and shakes his head, "Elena Lincoln."

I feel my heart sink. "Shit. What the fuck is she doing here?"

"… Like I said, she claims to have information and she is very insistent on seeing you."

I shake my head, "She doesn't know anything. She is just here to be a nuisance."

"So what should I do with your nuisance," Taylor huffs, "I don't think she is going to take no for an answer…"

I take in a deep breath, "She wouldn't be Elena Lincoln if she took no for an answer…"

He snickers softly to himself, "So what would you like me to do with her."

My morbid curiosity gets the better of me as my brain makes its decision on seeing my estranged Domme. Ana is going to shit a brick when she finds out that Elena was here, but right now, bad judgment wins over.

"Send her in," I tell Taylor, "I want extra security on her…. I don't trust her."

He nods his head, "Yes sir."

**Christian – One and a Half Years later**

** I watch from the sidelines as Genevieve sits with Anastasia. **I feel useless, and I want to do something for my wife, but I don't know what to do. I feel lost, and out of control. I just want to be able to comfort my own damn wife. Suddenly, I feel little arms wrap around my leg, and I look down and see my little nugget staring up at me.

"Daddy… whats Mama doin?" she asks as I reach down to pick her up.

I look around and I notice that Elliot has also released Bennett from the car, and is now holding him. Rocky is trying to get Bennett's attention as Ireland observes from the side. Taylor is watching over us all, and making sure everyone is where they need to be in order to give Ana space.

I kiss my little girl on the forehead, "Mommy is sad… she needs Aunt Gen right now."

"Why Mama sad?" she asks, her puppy dog eyes begging for answers. Shit, this little girl is going to be the death of me for the rest of my life – she is too sweet to resist.

"Mommy is sad because she misses grandma," I tell her as I give her another small kiss.

"Do you want to see your Mommy, Josephine?" Flynn asks her.

What the fuck is Flynn playing at? I look over at Flynn and he nods like he knows what he is doing. Of course, Josephine is adamant on wanting to see her Mom.

"Let's go see Mommy, Jo…" Flynn tells her, "It will help Mommy for you to see her…"

There is something in Flynn's tone that concerns me. Flynn gives me another knowing look and I suddenly feel worried. Does he know something? Did something happen in his sessions with Ana this week? I know that bastard won't tell me, no matter how much I try to beat it out of him.

I walk into the cemetery with Josephine on my hip. I nervously walk through the rows to get to my wife, and I watch Ana and Gen from a distance. They are now both in tears, and I feel knots form in my stomach. I look back at Flynn and he nods me forward.

"Mommy," Josephine squeals as she squirms out of my hold. Ana turns and smiles for Josephine as much as she is able. Tears are still prevalent in her eyes, and her whole face is red. I want to hold her, but I know she needs time with Genevieve right now.

"Hey baby girl," she struggles out, "Do you want to come sit with me and Aunt Gen?"

Josephine tip toes through the grass to get to her mother. Jo jumps in her lap and Ana leaves her small kisses on the top of her head while she squeezes her tight. From this position, we're all facing Carla's grave, a place Ana has visited often over the past year and a half.

"Is Benny here?" Ana asks after a moment of silence.

I nod, "Yeah, baby – he is. He is with Elliot…"

Gen wipes away her tears, "I'm going to hold that sweet boy. We'll be waiting for you when you're ready to go." Gen leaves and I take her place next to Ana. I wrap my arms around her back and leave a small kiss on her forehead.

After several more moments of silence, I give my daughter a small kiss. "I need some time alone with Mommy; we'll be at the car in a second, baby…"

I nod at Flynn and he's halfway to where we are sitting in a heartbeat. He walks Josephine back and I am left alone with my wife as she continues to silently sob. I brush away a few tears as she finally calms her emotions.

"Ana…. It is not your fault."

She takes in a deep sigh, "Quit telling me that…"

"It's the truth," I tell her, "She is not here because of you… We have gone over this and gone over this."

"But that doesn't change the way I feel, Christian," she sobs, "This happened because of me…"

"This happened," I repeat, "Because some fuckers with a vendetta made this happen… this had nothing to do with you."

She sobs again and I hold her against me. We've gone over this and over this, and I am not sure what is going to stop my wife's grief. I don't know what it is going to take to get us to move on, but I am beyond ready for it to happen.

"I shouldn't have left things like that with her… I shouldn't have been such a bitch," she sobs, "I can't believe I ever talked to her like that."

I kiss her on the top of her head and hold her close. I know what it is like to live in bitterness and regret, and I don't want that for her. I want to move on and I want us to get back to who we were before this happened.

"Christian," she sobs into my shoulder.

"Yes honey…" I say as I kiss her one more time.

"I lost the baby…" she sobs even harder.

Fuck. I take in a deep breath and hold her tighter. "Ana…. It's ok."

"We were so excited," she sobs as I hold her.

"I know baby," I breathe, trying to keep my control.

"What are we going to do?" she asks, "I can't … I just can't anymore…."

I grab the sides of her face and kiss her on her soft lips. "Come home, and we'll get through this… together…"

**Christian – Present Time **

** I decide to meet with Elena outside on our porch. **I know Ana won't be ok with Elena coming by at all, but I thought I'd relieve the blow by meeting with her outside. Elena can speak her peace and then promptly leave.

As soon as I take my seat, I see Elena surrounded by my security team. She looks like she is doing well, and she seems to be as immaculacy dressed as Elena typically is. Her blonde hair is much longer than before, and her face is caked with makeup.

"Elena…" I nod as she walks up the front steps.

"Christian… I apologize for coming by so late… or so early. I've just recently come in the possession of some information and I thought it be better if I told you sooner rather than later," she says as she walks across the porch.

"What information?" I ask.

She groans and takes a seat in the chair next to me. "Christian, I don't relish in this – I just want you to know. I don't feel good about this. After what you have gone through these past few years, I hate this…"

"What are you talking about?"

She takes in a deep breath, "A long time ago…. I met a submissive through my submissive network. This was way before you ever came into the picture…. But it was when I was still married to Linc."

I nod, trying to follow what she is saying to me. "Yes…"

"I don't remember where he was in the timeline of my submissives, but he was beautiful and strong…. And we had chemistry. He was actually a switch - he was so good at submitting and dominating me."

"Why are you telling me this?" I ask her, "What's the point to all of this?"

"I knew from the beginning that he was married, much like me. He married young, and he wasn't sure how he felt about the commitment, so I promised to be discreet. I also found out that he was the father of two little girls…."

I feel my heart stop,. "What are you saying Elena?"

She takes in a deep breath, "Ray Steele was my former submissive….."

I get up and begin pacing across the porch. I stop and stare out into the Seattle night. "What the fuck?"

"Linc found out, and he lost it…. Lost all control, and went after Ray. Linc's lackeys murdered Ray and have kept Carla silent for most of her life. I don't know why I didn't see it earlier. The last names and how much she looks like him… it's really uncanny how much Anastasia looks like Ray. I guess I was too hell bent on destroying her relationship with you to care."

I can't even comprehend what is going on; I am losing all sense of control.

"And that's not everything," she continues, "Once Ray was discovered to be a submissive…. Linc dug further into my past… I can't prove it, but he has disposed of every single one of my submissives. I know he is responsible. You're the only one he has left standing…"

"Why the fuck did you not tell me this earlier," I practically scream at her, "You have left me blind while Linc's fucktards continue to destroy my life and everything good in it…"

"I'm so sorry Christian, I truly am, I didn't know about any of this until this evening…" she says, pleading with me, "I may not like your wife, but you have a daughter now, and it is not fair for an innocent child to be affected by my ex-husband's rage. I am trying to do the right fucking thing here Christian…."

"You doing the right thing?" I shake my head, "Please…"

"Fuck you," she snaps, "I came over here with valuable information and you're acting like an ungrateful little shit."

I shake my head and grunt out my next words. "Thank you Elena… do you have any other pieces of valuable information for me?"

She shakes her head and snorts, "The money."

"What money," I snap.

"The money you received from Carrick's mysterious colleague to start your company in the beginning…. That was stolen from Linc."

"Mother fucking shit," I hiss as I shake my head, "Do you have anything else…. Did I accidently cut off Linc's balls while I was sleeping or some other fucked up shit like that?"

She shakes her head, "That's all…. You do believe me right?"

"Believe you?" I ask, bemused by this entire conversation.

"I want to help. I'm fucking angry at Linc, and I want to make this right…. Do you believe me?"

I snort, "Elena, it seems that I have more problems on my hands then just your intentions. Figuring out your sincerity is low on the totem pole."

She nods, "Whatever…"

I take in a deep breath, sucking up my pride. "Thank you for telling me this…. This will help us move forward."

She nods, "Your father-in-law was a good man…"

I shake my head at her, "He had an affair with you… He doesn't sound like a good fucking man to me."

"He felt guilty, leaving the girls to come see me. He told me so. He was the only submissive who I ever talked to, who I ever shared my feelings with. You know me, I never do that…. He just had those eyes, you know? Those "you can talk to me, I'm trust worthy" kind of eyes."

"That's enough," I say, shaking my head, "This is so fucked up."

"What the fuck are you doing here?" I hear a voice behind me.

I twist around to see Anastasia standing at the front door. She looks angry and exhausted. Fuck. Both Elena and I stand up, and Elena begins her descent down the steps.

"I was just leaving Anastasia…. I am sorry to disrupt, I know it's late."

Ana's scowl deepens and I know she doesn't believe her sincerity. "I don't know why you were here and talking to my husband, but I better never see your face again…. You are disgusting."

Normally, Elena would come back with some bitchy retort, and the two would begin firing insults back and forth at each other, but Elena uncharacteristically bows out.

"Anastasia, I promise I am leaving. I just had some information to share with Christian and now I am gone… I apologize. I know it is late…"

Elena walks away and I try to take a step into my home.

"Why was she here?" Ana snaps.

"She had information to share…. I'll share it with you tomorrow, I promise. Right now, I want to sleep with my wife next to me."

Ana takes one last agitated huff and shakes her head. "Well thank you for at least keeping her outside…. I don't want her breathing the same air as my daughter."

The weight of Elena's information instantly crashes down on my shoulders. _Fuck, what am I going to do?_


End file.
